Boring day to report here. It was mostly a journal day, because I realized just how far behind I was. But I got four days of South Africa done, so that was pretty clutch.
Also, it was a busy B day, which means six hours and fifteen minutes of classes. So yeah, journaling and class took up most all of my day.
At night, I wanted to hang out with Amy, but she had too much work to do. Boo. And she was going on an SAS overnight in Ghana. Bummer.
So instead I did some more research on my Ghana plans, seeing as we were arriving the next day. Nick was going to Cape Coast with our neighbors, but I didn’t want to spend that much time in transit. It was supposedly four hours each way, and I only had the first two days free for independent travel. So I went to bed with a bunch of ideas for the next couple days, but no concrete plans or travel mates. I had some coordinatin’ to do the following day at breakfast.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Day 82 – At Sea
Today was a big day for our freeing the human voice class. Because today we were leading singing exercises in Global Studies. I was running a few minutes late to the morning section, but I got there just in time to help lead.
We sang this South African song called “Belly Mamba” in a round. It was cool. I really enjoy singing. I’d like to work on serious singing, in addition to the comedy.
Between classes I wrote in my journal and then continued working on the ol’ West song with Tolan and Derek. We added some more funny interactions. We’re probably two brainstorming sessions away from finishing the song.
Spiritual dance tonight was amazing. There was so much energy. It was incredible. I was literally drenched in sweat upon its completion. Which is good, because spiritual dance is the only exercise I get while I’m on the boat.
After spiritual dance I went to see if Amy could hang out, but she had too much work to do. So I went back to the room and wrote some rhymes for the rap, wrote in my journal, and watched a couple episodes of In Treatment with Nick. I know I’ve told you this before, dear readers, but it’s a great show. The acting is phenomenal. Watch it if you get a chance.
We sang this South African song called “Belly Mamba” in a round. It was cool. I really enjoy singing. I’d like to work on serious singing, in addition to the comedy.
Between classes I wrote in my journal and then continued working on the ol’ West song with Tolan and Derek. We added some more funny interactions. We’re probably two brainstorming sessions away from finishing the song.
Spiritual dance tonight was amazing. There was so much energy. It was incredible. I was literally drenched in sweat upon its completion. Which is good, because spiritual dance is the only exercise I get while I’m on the boat.
After spiritual dance I went to see if Amy could hang out, but she had too much work to do. So I went back to the room and wrote some rhymes for the rap, wrote in my journal, and watched a couple episodes of In Treatment with Nick. I know I’ve told you this before, dear readers, but it’s a great show. The acting is phenomenal. Watch it if you get a chance.
Day 81 – At Sea
Today was a no class day. But didn’t have time to sleep in, as my SeaTV group was shooting a segment at 10:00 am. The premise behind the segment was explaining why there are lumberjacks on the ship (our team name is the Sassy Lumberjack Club). Since the voyage’s theme is sustainability, we decided to be environmental lumberjacks who protected the trees. It was some great stuff. I got to yell at the administration and had a shot making out with a tree.
After shooting the segment, I went to lunch. And it was Taco Day! I ate so much food. I had at least 10 tacos. And a taco salad. I must have eaten a pound and a half of ground beef alone. Fantastic. Though, in hindsight, kind of disgusting.
After lunch I left a note on Amy’s door asking if she wanted to watch a movie that night. Like the last note, this had “yes,” “no,” and “maybe” boxes. Next to the “yes” box was a smiley face; next to the “no” box was a frowny face; and next to the “maybe” box was a neutral face saying “I don’t know what to feel.”
Back at the room, I watched an episode of In Treatment before spending a couple hours writing in my journal.
Around 3:30, I got together with Tolan and Derek to write a song together. We decided to make it a story about the ol’ Wild West. I would be the main character, and Tolan and Derek would voice the various characters I ran into. It was great fun adding Derek to the equation. We thought of some hilarious stuff together. And Derek has a great voice (he can play guitar, too, but we decided to stick with one guitar), so it gave us more musical options.
Shortly before dinner Derek had to run off to a meeting, so Tolan and I spent a few minutes working on our rap. Tolan had written some hilarious sex/penis lines. He is rapidly improving at this musical comedy stuff. For our first few songs I did most of the lyrical writing, but he is getting sharper and sharper. The rhymes he wrote were hysterical.
When I came back to the room I saw Amy had returned my note. No surprise, she said yes. You see, dear readers, I’m far too handsome to resist. She said she’d be over at 8:30.
So I went to dinner feeling pretty, pretty, pretty good about myself. I got dinner with Nick and our neighbors Blake, Alan, and Mark. Earl also came. Dinner was great; hysterical conversation. I love our neighbors.
After dinner I went to a meeting about how to carry on with spiritual dance at our home institutions. Unfortunately, I felt like it was a bit of a waste of time. We didn’t really get much information; Jenny just kinda gave us a vote of confidence.
After the meeting I went back to the room to clean up for my movie date with Amy. Meaning I brushed my teeth and put on deodorant. When she came over I had her pick a movie from my repertoire, and she picked the Big Lebowski. She had never seen it before, so I kinda pushed her in that direction.
Anyway, the Big Lebowski is an amazing movie. Too good, in fact, to make a move. I was engrossed almost immediately.
But I did forget how long it is. Two hours. So it ended around 10:40, meaning Nick would be back in twenty minutes or so. Knowing I had little time to work with, I put on some music and said “can I kiss you? On the lips?” I really don’t know why I’m so awkward with women. But she laughed and said yes, so we did that until Nick came back.
When Nick came back she stayed and hung out for maybe half an hour. She’s actually really cool. I mean I was sort of friends with her beforehand, so I knew she was cool. But I was unaware as to just exactly how cool she is. She’s pretty damn cool. And she has a great sense of humor (read: thinks I’m hilarious). I went to bed shortly after she took off, but I vowed to try to stay with her for the remainder of the voyage.
After shooting the segment, I went to lunch. And it was Taco Day! I ate so much food. I had at least 10 tacos. And a taco salad. I must have eaten a pound and a half of ground beef alone. Fantastic. Though, in hindsight, kind of disgusting.
After lunch I left a note on Amy’s door asking if she wanted to watch a movie that night. Like the last note, this had “yes,” “no,” and “maybe” boxes. Next to the “yes” box was a smiley face; next to the “no” box was a frowny face; and next to the “maybe” box was a neutral face saying “I don’t know what to feel.”
Back at the room, I watched an episode of In Treatment before spending a couple hours writing in my journal.
Around 3:30, I got together with Tolan and Derek to write a song together. We decided to make it a story about the ol’ Wild West. I would be the main character, and Tolan and Derek would voice the various characters I ran into. It was great fun adding Derek to the equation. We thought of some hilarious stuff together. And Derek has a great voice (he can play guitar, too, but we decided to stick with one guitar), so it gave us more musical options.
Shortly before dinner Derek had to run off to a meeting, so Tolan and I spent a few minutes working on our rap. Tolan had written some hilarious sex/penis lines. He is rapidly improving at this musical comedy stuff. For our first few songs I did most of the lyrical writing, but he is getting sharper and sharper. The rhymes he wrote were hysterical.
When I came back to the room I saw Amy had returned my note. No surprise, she said yes. You see, dear readers, I’m far too handsome to resist. She said she’d be over at 8:30.
So I went to dinner feeling pretty, pretty, pretty good about myself. I got dinner with Nick and our neighbors Blake, Alan, and Mark. Earl also came. Dinner was great; hysterical conversation. I love our neighbors.
After dinner I went to a meeting about how to carry on with spiritual dance at our home institutions. Unfortunately, I felt like it was a bit of a waste of time. We didn’t really get much information; Jenny just kinda gave us a vote of confidence.
After the meeting I went back to the room to clean up for my movie date with Amy. Meaning I brushed my teeth and put on deodorant. When she came over I had her pick a movie from my repertoire, and she picked the Big Lebowski. She had never seen it before, so I kinda pushed her in that direction.
Anyway, the Big Lebowski is an amazing movie. Too good, in fact, to make a move. I was engrossed almost immediately.
But I did forget how long it is. Two hours. So it ended around 10:40, meaning Nick would be back in twenty minutes or so. Knowing I had little time to work with, I put on some music and said “can I kiss you? On the lips?” I really don’t know why I’m so awkward with women. But she laughed and said yes, so we did that until Nick came back.
When Nick came back she stayed and hung out for maybe half an hour. She’s actually really cool. I mean I was sort of friends with her beforehand, so I knew she was cool. But I was unaware as to just exactly how cool she is. She’s pretty damn cool. And she has a great sense of humor (read: thinks I’m hilarious). I went to bed shortly after she took off, but I vowed to try to stay with her for the remainder of the voyage.
Day 80 – At Sea
Busy B day started with a block of classes. In art I made a point of flirting with Amy and getting her room number. She seemed quite receptive. I planned to give her a note the following day.
Throughout the day I was getting compliments for our act the previous night. People just loved it. The majority of compliments centered around the act being “hilarious,” “ballsy,” or, simply, “I can’t believe you guys said that!” My favorite compliment, though, was when this one dude saw me in the hallway and excitedly shoved me while saying “dude! You’re the funniest kid in the world!”
Surprisingly, we didn’t get in any trouble. At the very least I thought we’d have to apologize to someone (you’ll understand why when you see the video, dear readers). But there was nothing. In fact, one of the professors we poked fun at, whom I had never previously spoken to, waved to me in the hallway and said “Hi, Max!”
After dinner I worked on my journal. I finished five of six days at sea between Mauritius and South Africa. All for you, internet friends. And my memories.
At around 10:00 Tolan and I began to try to write a new song. We knew we wanted to write a rap, but we didn’t have a topic. Initial songwriting meetings are always my least favorite, because we get the least done. It’s more frustration than success.
But we did settle on a theme. We decided to touch on three typical subjects of rap songs: sex, money and fame, and toughness. In each section, we would rap it as if we excelled in each of these areas, but the lyrics would reveal that, in fact, we do not.
Once we had the theme, we tried to write the chorus. We got half of it written when we called it a night. But Tolan never ceases to amaze me with his musical ability. While we spent the majority of the time working on the lyrics for the chorus, he came up with great music for the chorus and the verses pretty much instantly.
Back in my room, the second half just came to me shortly before going to bed. So that was cool. I contently read Malcolm X’s autobiography before drifting off to sleep.
Throughout the day I was getting compliments for our act the previous night. People just loved it. The majority of compliments centered around the act being “hilarious,” “ballsy,” or, simply, “I can’t believe you guys said that!” My favorite compliment, though, was when this one dude saw me in the hallway and excitedly shoved me while saying “dude! You’re the funniest kid in the world!”
Surprisingly, we didn’t get in any trouble. At the very least I thought we’d have to apologize to someone (you’ll understand why when you see the video, dear readers). But there was nothing. In fact, one of the professors we poked fun at, whom I had never previously spoken to, waved to me in the hallway and said “Hi, Max!”
After dinner I worked on my journal. I finished five of six days at sea between Mauritius and South Africa. All for you, internet friends. And my memories.
At around 10:00 Tolan and I began to try to write a new song. We knew we wanted to write a rap, but we didn’t have a topic. Initial songwriting meetings are always my least favorite, because we get the least done. It’s more frustration than success.
But we did settle on a theme. We decided to touch on three typical subjects of rap songs: sex, money and fame, and toughness. In each section, we would rap it as if we excelled in each of these areas, but the lyrics would reveal that, in fact, we do not.
Once we had the theme, we tried to write the chorus. We got half of it written when we called it a night. But Tolan never ceases to amaze me with his musical ability. While we spent the majority of the time working on the lyrics for the chorus, he came up with great music for the chorus and the verses pretty much instantly.
Back in my room, the second half just came to me shortly before going to bed. So that was cool. I contently read Malcolm X’s autobiography before drifting off to sleep.
Day 79 – At Sea
I again slept in, still behind on sleep. I’m glad that we now have more time on the ship between ports; traveling just takes a lot out of you. I need at least three long sleeps to fully recover.
My day started with freeing the human voice, and I’m sure we did some crazy vocal exercise. I really love that class; it’s gotten me much better at vocal impressions.
Between classes I ate lunch and finished my post on Mauritius. But that’s less of an accomplishment than it sounds, because we were only in Mauritius for two days. And I didn’t do much there.
In painting, instead of a workday we were told to paint the ocean. My painting was just awful. During my first attempt I didn’t keep my brush strokes consistent, and then my second attempt was simply rushed. To make matters worse, it was windy outside, making it very difficult to paint. Needless to say, I left class frustrated.
After class, I left a note on Kenna’s door, which asked if I could take her out to dinner on the top deck. I then had three boxes: yes; no; and maybe. I asked her to return the note to my cabin: 3134. I thought the cuteness factor would make the note impossible to say no to.
Before dinner, Tolan and I practiced Epiphany. The Coffee House was that night, and we still had yet to completely memorize the lyrics. But after a few run-throughs we felt confident and ready to rock the house.
Initially, the Coffee House was set to go in the Piano Lounge, which, really, can only seat 75 comfortably. I got there early to get a good seat. But the place was quickly overflowing, and I got word that we were moving to the Union. I was able to get out of there just before the crowd, and thus I got seats front row center.
The show started a little late, at 9:30 instead of 9:00. We didn’t go until 10:30, which was when the uncensored portion started. I’m 99% sure that the later, uncensored portion was the result of our “If I Had One Day” performance a while back.
Anyway, at 10:30 we went onstage. And stayed there for 11 minutes (song and intro). And I’m proud to say that our act KILLED. Our first jokes actually bombed, which made me nervous, but the laughter soon picked up. People just loved the visual comedy section, and when we made jokes about specific people on the ship the audience was sent into a frenzy. A good fifteen seconds after we’d left the stage, the MC could not contain her laughter as she tried to introduce the next act.
The crowd was also shocked by the song’s edginess. Right as we sat down, many people sitting near me said “say goodbye to the uncensored Coffee Houses.”
The lone sour note of my evening was the fact that Kenna never returned the note I left on her door. I wasn’t too bummed, though, because I knew that Amy liked me. And Amy is a very cool and attractive girl. So I decided I was going to put Kenna out of my mind and go for Amy instead.
My day started with freeing the human voice, and I’m sure we did some crazy vocal exercise. I really love that class; it’s gotten me much better at vocal impressions.
Between classes I ate lunch and finished my post on Mauritius. But that’s less of an accomplishment than it sounds, because we were only in Mauritius for two days. And I didn’t do much there.
In painting, instead of a workday we were told to paint the ocean. My painting was just awful. During my first attempt I didn’t keep my brush strokes consistent, and then my second attempt was simply rushed. To make matters worse, it was windy outside, making it very difficult to paint. Needless to say, I left class frustrated.
After class, I left a note on Kenna’s door, which asked if I could take her out to dinner on the top deck. I then had three boxes: yes; no; and maybe. I asked her to return the note to my cabin: 3134. I thought the cuteness factor would make the note impossible to say no to.
Before dinner, Tolan and I practiced Epiphany. The Coffee House was that night, and we still had yet to completely memorize the lyrics. But after a few run-throughs we felt confident and ready to rock the house.
Initially, the Coffee House was set to go in the Piano Lounge, which, really, can only seat 75 comfortably. I got there early to get a good seat. But the place was quickly overflowing, and I got word that we were moving to the Union. I was able to get out of there just before the crowd, and thus I got seats front row center.
The show started a little late, at 9:30 instead of 9:00. We didn’t go until 10:30, which was when the uncensored portion started. I’m 99% sure that the later, uncensored portion was the result of our “If I Had One Day” performance a while back.
Anyway, at 10:30 we went onstage. And stayed there for 11 minutes (song and intro). And I’m proud to say that our act KILLED. Our first jokes actually bombed, which made me nervous, but the laughter soon picked up. People just loved the visual comedy section, and when we made jokes about specific people on the ship the audience was sent into a frenzy. A good fifteen seconds after we’d left the stage, the MC could not contain her laughter as she tried to introduce the next act.
The crowd was also shocked by the song’s edginess. Right as we sat down, many people sitting near me said “say goodbye to the uncensored Coffee Houses.”
The lone sour note of my evening was the fact that Kenna never returned the note I left on her door. I wasn’t too bummed, though, because I knew that Amy liked me. And Amy is a very cool and attractive girl. So I decided I was going to put Kenna out of my mind and go for Amy instead.
Day 78 – At Sea
I slept in, needing to catch up on sleep from South Africa. Shortly before my SeaTV production meeting, I saw Erika, our Digital Storytelling professor, and routinely asked her if she picked up footage for us. She was meeting up with Matthew, our SeaTV teammate who had been kicked off the ship, and had told us that she was going to get two segments from him. He had edited an eating contest between Kevin and me (which I won, of course), and was supposedly going to film a segment called “A Lonely Lumberjack gets kicked off the Ship.” So, in total, we had expected Erika to come back with 7 or 8 minutes of footage.
Unfortunately, she had forgotten. And, I assume, Matthew never shot the Lonely Lumberjack segment. So, while we had expected a routine day in compiling our broadcast, we had hit a disaster. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really able to help because I have zero editing experience. But my teammates worked all day.
I had to continue with my classes, first drawing and then Gamelan. In Gamelan, we went outside to sing our song “Ke-Chak.” I was wearing my new beloved Jesus hat, when a sudden gust of wind blew it right off my head. I ran to try to get it, but when I got within a few feet a smaller gust of wind took it over the side of the ship. It’s hard for me to articulate just how angry I was when this happened. I just left class, despite fifteen minutes remaining. When I got to my cabin, I started screaming “NOOOOO!” and “FUUUUCK!!” repeatedly for a few minutes, and then I held a pillow to the wall with my left hand, and threw probably thirty haymakers into it with my right. I vow to get a similar hat on zazzle.
Before dinner, Tolan and I rehearsed Epiphany. The coffee house was the following day, and we still had a few more kinks to work out. Boy, this song was edgy. Knowing the current administration, which had even punished people for playing poker without money, claiming they were still gambling, we knew there was a possibility we’d get punished for some of the jokes we made. But we discussed the possibility and decided it was a risk we were willing to take.
After dinner I watched SeaTV. It was embarrassingly bad; clearly hastily put together. I pretty much had my head in my hands the entire time.
Once SeaTV ended I worked on my journal for a while. I’m desperately trying to catch up, but I’m not optimistic.
Around 10:20 I went up to the sixth deck for snack time, and there I saw Steve. Steve has been known to rock out on the Ukulele, and he and I had an impromptu sing-along. We sang “Wagon Wheel” by the Old Crow Medicine Show and “Cheeseburger in Paradise” by Jimmy Buffet. I asked Steve about learning the Ukulele, and he said it was super easy. Way easier than learning guitar. I decided that the Ukulele will be the instrument I try to learn, because I’m impatient and it offers instant gratification. It seems like a good baby step toward learning guitar.
As for the ladies, I had resolved ask Kenna out on a date today. But, as has been the case many times previously on this voyage, I never had a good opportunity. It needs to be brought up casually in one-on-one conversation; if you always run into her in a group setting you’re screwed. But then I had an epiphany (HAHA!); I should do it via note. Then I’d get an answer the next day. So I decided to leave a note on her door the next afternoon.
Unfortunately, she had forgotten. And, I assume, Matthew never shot the Lonely Lumberjack segment. So, while we had expected a routine day in compiling our broadcast, we had hit a disaster. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really able to help because I have zero editing experience. But my teammates worked all day.
I had to continue with my classes, first drawing and then Gamelan. In Gamelan, we went outside to sing our song “Ke-Chak.” I was wearing my new beloved Jesus hat, when a sudden gust of wind blew it right off my head. I ran to try to get it, but when I got within a few feet a smaller gust of wind took it over the side of the ship. It’s hard for me to articulate just how angry I was when this happened. I just left class, despite fifteen minutes remaining. When I got to my cabin, I started screaming “NOOOOO!” and “FUUUUCK!!” repeatedly for a few minutes, and then I held a pillow to the wall with my left hand, and threw probably thirty haymakers into it with my right. I vow to get a similar hat on zazzle.
Before dinner, Tolan and I rehearsed Epiphany. The coffee house was the following day, and we still had a few more kinks to work out. Boy, this song was edgy. Knowing the current administration, which had even punished people for playing poker without money, claiming they were still gambling, we knew there was a possibility we’d get punished for some of the jokes we made. But we discussed the possibility and decided it was a risk we were willing to take.
After dinner I watched SeaTV. It was embarrassingly bad; clearly hastily put together. I pretty much had my head in my hands the entire time.
Once SeaTV ended I worked on my journal for a while. I’m desperately trying to catch up, but I’m not optimistic.
Around 10:20 I went up to the sixth deck for snack time, and there I saw Steve. Steve has been known to rock out on the Ukulele, and he and I had an impromptu sing-along. We sang “Wagon Wheel” by the Old Crow Medicine Show and “Cheeseburger in Paradise” by Jimmy Buffet. I asked Steve about learning the Ukulele, and he said it was super easy. Way easier than learning guitar. I decided that the Ukulele will be the instrument I try to learn, because I’m impatient and it offers instant gratification. It seems like a good baby step toward learning guitar.
As for the ladies, I had resolved ask Kenna out on a date today. But, as has been the case many times previously on this voyage, I never had a good opportunity. It needs to be brought up casually in one-on-one conversation; if you always run into her in a group setting you’re screwed. But then I had an epiphany (HAHA!); I should do it via note. Then I’d get an answer the next day. So I decided to leave a note on her door the next afternoon.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
South Africa (continued)
Day 5 – Boulder's Beach and the Langa Township
Despite my exhaustion, I woke up to meet Greg and DJ for breakfast. The previous afternoon, Greg had expressed interest in independently visiting a township, and DJ and I thought it sounded fun. At breakfast we ran into Derek, and he decided to skip his tour of the wine lands to join us.
While eating, we decided to expand the day’s itinerary. Greg had heard that we could take a train to Boulders Beach for cheap, and that the train would be filled with locals. A bunch of penguins live at Boulders Beach, so it’s a tourist attraction. The real draw was the opportunity to swim with the penguins, which we’d heard one could do.
As we were leaving, we ran into Clara and Nate, who asked to tag along to Boulders Beach. So the six of us headed to the train station via taxicab, and got a ticket on the next train to Boulders Beach.
The train ride there to the beach was sweet. Though we did not get to meet any locals, we did get see the beautiful South African coastline. It was on that train when I decided that South Africa has been my favorite port. The country is, simply, strikingly beautiful. And the beaches were filled with locals, all of whom seemed to be having a nice, relaxing time with their friends and families.
Once we reached our stop, we took the ten minute walk to Boulders Beach. Unfortunately, visiting the penguins was underwhelming. I suppose it was pretty cool to see, but it was swarming with tourists. And we were not allowed to enter the area where most of the penguins were hanging out. We were allowed on a nearby beach, but only a few penguins were there. To say one could “swim with penguins” is certainly an exaggeration. And while it was certainly cool to see all the penguins, given our limited time in South Africa, Boulders Beach seemed entirely skipable.
Because we were short on time, we (Greg, DJ, Derek, and I) got a cab back to the train station. Clara and Nate stayed at the beach. We then trained to an area near the Langa township. This train ride was much more along the lines of what we were looking for. There were a lot of locals riding the train, and we interacted with them by performing card tricks.
Once we arrived near Langa, we took a cab into the township. I wanted to buy a soccer ball to bring to the township, but, because it was Easter Sunday, all the sporting good stores were closed. After a ten minute cab ride, our driver dropped us off at the police station, saying “they should know you will be there, just in case something happens.” Boy, people (the SAS administration, fellow SASers, and, now, our cab driver) sure seemed to build up the danger of these townships. Anyway, we arranged to be picked up at 4:45, which gave us about two and a half hours in the township.
So we wandered over to a shanty area, hoping to meet people. We soon met Abel, who showed us around for the remainder of the afternoon. He played up the danger of area, claiming we needed a guide. Because it was broad daylight and we are four decent-sized guys, I really do not think that danger was a serious issue. That said, Abel was a nice enough guy and certainly needed the money, so no one minded having him around.
Abel led us through the shanty area, where we got to see into the small homes people live in. These shanties are self-constructed with any materials one can find, such as scrap wood and sheet metal. The typical shanty home, which houses a family of up to seven or eight people, will have a couple of beds, a table with a small television or radio, and a small cooking area. Really puts life into perspective.
After going through the shanty area, we saw a group of kids playing a large open field. To say that they were excited to see us would be an understatement. One girl ran up and just touched my arm before running back to her friends. My guess is the combo of my white skin and all the arm hair was completely novel. So we played with the kids for a while, playing little games, showing them pictures of themselves, and picking them up by their arms and spinning them around.
After spending 20 minutes or so with the kids, we asked Abel to take us somewhere to eat. So he took us to this local barbeque restaurant, which was amazing. The first room is like a butcher shop, where there are tons of choices of raw meats. In the next room, you give your raw meats to the chef and it is grilled. The food is served communally, on a big plate with delicious sauces.
While we waited for our food, we bought some beers and met locals in the restaurant. I talked to a couple of people before meeting Robert and Jojo, with whom I spent the next hour. Robert and Jojo are two middle-class South Africans, neither of whom actually lived in the Langa township. They both were just there for lunch. But they each spoke English well, and were quite interested to hear my opinions about the American political scene. Each expressed interest in one day visiting America, and I told them I would be happy to be a source of information on American travel, and, provided they visited near me, show them around the country. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with both of them, and before leaving the restaurant we exchanged emails and facebook information (I have since been in email contact with both of them).
I was sad to leave the company of Robert and Jojo, but we had to walk to the police station to meet our cab. On the way to the station, we said our goodbyes to Abel and paid him 100 ZAR for his troubles. I also gave him a box of Hawaiian chocolates.
When we arrived at the police station, however, our cab was nowhere to be found. After waiting ten minutes or so, we began to worry. We had no idea where to hail a cab—we hadn’t seen any during our entire stay at the township. So I went into the station to ask an officer how on earth we’d be able to get back to the boat. Luckily, a kind man named Donald was inside the police station, and he volunteered to drive us back to the boat. Though he did not ask for and initially refused any money, we insisted on paying him. And thanks to Donald’s kindness, we were able to board the ship a half hour before on-ship time, thus successfully avoiding dock time in Ghana.
Reactions to South African Culture
My overwhelming reaction to South Africa was, simply: I DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE THIS PLACE (CAPITALS FOR EMPHASIS! EXTREEEEME!!!). But yeah, I seriously may want to live in South Africa someday (Editor’s Note: I hope this sentence did not give my mother a heart attack). Mainly for the three following reasons.
First, South Africa is, bar none, the most beautiful country I have ever seen. The landscape is simply breathtaking. There are so many colors. Outstanding mountains are everywhere. Beaches with golden sand and sparkling blue water extend along the entire coastline. Unless, of course, the sand is replaced with steep, striking cliffs. One of my favorite professors back at Oxy, Professor Laura Hebert (whom I asked out on a date, which is irrelevant to my point but a fun fact I felt like mentioning), frequently claimed that South Africa is the prettiest place in the world. Now that I’ve been there, I believe her.
Second, people are exceedingly friendly. I met so many locals and they were all very receptive. And it’s not like I’m getting the attention for being white and novel looking; South Africa is a rainbow nation. The people just genuinely responded to conversation. I met locals at bars, on trains, in the township, and at restaurants. Not one was even remotely standoffish; the “coldest” reaction I ever got was shyness.
Finally, the culture is Westernized enough for me to stay a long while. Don't get me wrong, I loved visiting places like Vietnam and India; they were really cool. Teaching English there for six months could be awesome, especially in Vietnam. But the technology and Western comforts to which I have become accustomed are simply not there. South Africa, on the other hand, is quite Westernized (mostly the result of the British occupation and subsequent Afrikaner leadership, as horrendous as both periods of rule were). I could actually see myself living there.
But what I really like about South African culture is that, despite a strong Western influence, there is a real stress on community. One of my biggest gripes about American culture is the fact that so much emphasis is placed on the individual. Not enough is placed on family and community. In South Africa, I felt like much more influence was placed on both of those institutions, which was really cool. The people living there did not seem isolated, as many Americans do.
That’s not to say, by any means, that South Africa is devoid of problems. For starters, it has the greatest wealth disparity in the world. So, while many people, almost all of whom are Afrikaner, have a lot of money, many have virtually none. In the Khayelitsha township, for example, roughly two million people, most of whom are impoverished and living in aforementioned shanties, are crammed into an area that couldn’t be larger than five acres. Driving past the township was mindboggling; there was almost no open space, just shanties crammed right against one another. Many shared walls.
And as you can imagine, there is almost no opportunity for the people living in the townships. In addition to growing up with little too no money, educational opportunities are severely limited. Schools are overcrowded and underfunded. According to people we met in the Langa township, many kids in the townships drop out of school before American children enter high school. The lack of opportunity for the poor blacks in the townships only exacerbates the wealth disparity.
In addition to the wealth disparity and the lack of opportunity for lower-class South Africans, there are still strong racial tensions in the country, particularly in the rural areas. This is likely due to the fact that Apartheid, a system of institutionalized racism, ended only in 1994. So many white adults currently living in South Africa were taught, in the public education system mind you, that they are superior to black people. Thus, they harbor a lot of anger and resentment that blacks are now equal before the law. Blacks, too, were brainwashed under Apartheid, but into thinking that they are inferior to whites. But with the shackles of Apartheid lifted, these black adults have realized just how unfairly they were treated for the majority of their lives. And they’re justifiably angry about it.
In my humble opinion, it will probably take years for these tensions to fade. And though it sounds morbid, I think that those educated under Apartheid have to die off before the situation will really improve. Because the current generation has been taught non-racialism in the public school system. And from the young people I’ve met of many different colors, it seems clear that many do not harbor racist ideals (at least openly).
Well that’s all I gots on South Africa. Thanks for reading.
Despite my exhaustion, I woke up to meet Greg and DJ for breakfast. The previous afternoon, Greg had expressed interest in independently visiting a township, and DJ and I thought it sounded fun. At breakfast we ran into Derek, and he decided to skip his tour of the wine lands to join us.
While eating, we decided to expand the day’s itinerary. Greg had heard that we could take a train to Boulders Beach for cheap, and that the train would be filled with locals. A bunch of penguins live at Boulders Beach, so it’s a tourist attraction. The real draw was the opportunity to swim with the penguins, which we’d heard one could do.
As we were leaving, we ran into Clara and Nate, who asked to tag along to Boulders Beach. So the six of us headed to the train station via taxicab, and got a ticket on the next train to Boulders Beach.
The train ride there to the beach was sweet. Though we did not get to meet any locals, we did get see the beautiful South African coastline. It was on that train when I decided that South Africa has been my favorite port. The country is, simply, strikingly beautiful. And the beaches were filled with locals, all of whom seemed to be having a nice, relaxing time with their friends and families.
Once we reached our stop, we took the ten minute walk to Boulders Beach. Unfortunately, visiting the penguins was underwhelming. I suppose it was pretty cool to see, but it was swarming with tourists. And we were not allowed to enter the area where most of the penguins were hanging out. We were allowed on a nearby beach, but only a few penguins were there. To say one could “swim with penguins” is certainly an exaggeration. And while it was certainly cool to see all the penguins, given our limited time in South Africa, Boulders Beach seemed entirely skipable.
Because we were short on time, we (Greg, DJ, Derek, and I) got a cab back to the train station. Clara and Nate stayed at the beach. We then trained to an area near the Langa township. This train ride was much more along the lines of what we were looking for. There were a lot of locals riding the train, and we interacted with them by performing card tricks.
Once we arrived near Langa, we took a cab into the township. I wanted to buy a soccer ball to bring to the township, but, because it was Easter Sunday, all the sporting good stores were closed. After a ten minute cab ride, our driver dropped us off at the police station, saying “they should know you will be there, just in case something happens.” Boy, people (the SAS administration, fellow SASers, and, now, our cab driver) sure seemed to build up the danger of these townships. Anyway, we arranged to be picked up at 4:45, which gave us about two and a half hours in the township.
So we wandered over to a shanty area, hoping to meet people. We soon met Abel, who showed us around for the remainder of the afternoon. He played up the danger of area, claiming we needed a guide. Because it was broad daylight and we are four decent-sized guys, I really do not think that danger was a serious issue. That said, Abel was a nice enough guy and certainly needed the money, so no one minded having him around.
Abel led us through the shanty area, where we got to see into the small homes people live in. These shanties are self-constructed with any materials one can find, such as scrap wood and sheet metal. The typical shanty home, which houses a family of up to seven or eight people, will have a couple of beds, a table with a small television or radio, and a small cooking area. Really puts life into perspective.
After going through the shanty area, we saw a group of kids playing a large open field. To say that they were excited to see us would be an understatement. One girl ran up and just touched my arm before running back to her friends. My guess is the combo of my white skin and all the arm hair was completely novel. So we played with the kids for a while, playing little games, showing them pictures of themselves, and picking them up by their arms and spinning them around.
After spending 20 minutes or so with the kids, we asked Abel to take us somewhere to eat. So he took us to this local barbeque restaurant, which was amazing. The first room is like a butcher shop, where there are tons of choices of raw meats. In the next room, you give your raw meats to the chef and it is grilled. The food is served communally, on a big plate with delicious sauces.
While we waited for our food, we bought some beers and met locals in the restaurant. I talked to a couple of people before meeting Robert and Jojo, with whom I spent the next hour. Robert and Jojo are two middle-class South Africans, neither of whom actually lived in the Langa township. They both were just there for lunch. But they each spoke English well, and were quite interested to hear my opinions about the American political scene. Each expressed interest in one day visiting America, and I told them I would be happy to be a source of information on American travel, and, provided they visited near me, show them around the country. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with both of them, and before leaving the restaurant we exchanged emails and facebook information (I have since been in email contact with both of them).
I was sad to leave the company of Robert and Jojo, but we had to walk to the police station to meet our cab. On the way to the station, we said our goodbyes to Abel and paid him 100 ZAR for his troubles. I also gave him a box of Hawaiian chocolates.
When we arrived at the police station, however, our cab was nowhere to be found. After waiting ten minutes or so, we began to worry. We had no idea where to hail a cab—we hadn’t seen any during our entire stay at the township. So I went into the station to ask an officer how on earth we’d be able to get back to the boat. Luckily, a kind man named Donald was inside the police station, and he volunteered to drive us back to the boat. Though he did not ask for and initially refused any money, we insisted on paying him. And thanks to Donald’s kindness, we were able to board the ship a half hour before on-ship time, thus successfully avoiding dock time in Ghana.
Reactions to South African Culture
My overwhelming reaction to South Africa was, simply: I DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE THIS PLACE (CAPITALS FOR EMPHASIS! EXTREEEEME!!!). But yeah, I seriously may want to live in South Africa someday (Editor’s Note: I hope this sentence did not give my mother a heart attack). Mainly for the three following reasons.
First, South Africa is, bar none, the most beautiful country I have ever seen. The landscape is simply breathtaking. There are so many colors. Outstanding mountains are everywhere. Beaches with golden sand and sparkling blue water extend along the entire coastline. Unless, of course, the sand is replaced with steep, striking cliffs. One of my favorite professors back at Oxy, Professor Laura Hebert (whom I asked out on a date, which is irrelevant to my point but a fun fact I felt like mentioning), frequently claimed that South Africa is the prettiest place in the world. Now that I’ve been there, I believe her.
Second, people are exceedingly friendly. I met so many locals and they were all very receptive. And it’s not like I’m getting the attention for being white and novel looking; South Africa is a rainbow nation. The people just genuinely responded to conversation. I met locals at bars, on trains, in the township, and at restaurants. Not one was even remotely standoffish; the “coldest” reaction I ever got was shyness.
Finally, the culture is Westernized enough for me to stay a long while. Don't get me wrong, I loved visiting places like Vietnam and India; they were really cool. Teaching English there for six months could be awesome, especially in Vietnam. But the technology and Western comforts to which I have become accustomed are simply not there. South Africa, on the other hand, is quite Westernized (mostly the result of the British occupation and subsequent Afrikaner leadership, as horrendous as both periods of rule were). I could actually see myself living there.
But what I really like about South African culture is that, despite a strong Western influence, there is a real stress on community. One of my biggest gripes about American culture is the fact that so much emphasis is placed on the individual. Not enough is placed on family and community. In South Africa, I felt like much more influence was placed on both of those institutions, which was really cool. The people living there did not seem isolated, as many Americans do.
That’s not to say, by any means, that South Africa is devoid of problems. For starters, it has the greatest wealth disparity in the world. So, while many people, almost all of whom are Afrikaner, have a lot of money, many have virtually none. In the Khayelitsha township, for example, roughly two million people, most of whom are impoverished and living in aforementioned shanties, are crammed into an area that couldn’t be larger than five acres. Driving past the township was mindboggling; there was almost no open space, just shanties crammed right against one another. Many shared walls.
And as you can imagine, there is almost no opportunity for the people living in the townships. In addition to growing up with little too no money, educational opportunities are severely limited. Schools are overcrowded and underfunded. According to people we met in the Langa township, many kids in the townships drop out of school before American children enter high school. The lack of opportunity for the poor blacks in the townships only exacerbates the wealth disparity.
In addition to the wealth disparity and the lack of opportunity for lower-class South Africans, there are still strong racial tensions in the country, particularly in the rural areas. This is likely due to the fact that Apartheid, a system of institutionalized racism, ended only in 1994. So many white adults currently living in South Africa were taught, in the public education system mind you, that they are superior to black people. Thus, they harbor a lot of anger and resentment that blacks are now equal before the law. Blacks, too, were brainwashed under Apartheid, but into thinking that they are inferior to whites. But with the shackles of Apartheid lifted, these black adults have realized just how unfairly they were treated for the majority of their lives. And they’re justifiably angry about it.
In my humble opinion, it will probably take years for these tensions to fade. And though it sounds morbid, I think that those educated under Apartheid have to die off before the situation will really improve. Because the current generation has been taught non-racialism in the public school system. And from the young people I’ve met of many different colors, it seems clear that many do not harbor racist ideals (at least openly).
Well that’s all I gots on South Africa. Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Days 73 - 77: South Africa
Hi friends! Apologies for the delay getting this up. The days on the ship really fly. As usual for posts about my experiences in port, I’ll start by recapping what I did, then give cultural reactions. If you don’t want to read the whole thing (because I write way too much), I urge you to at least read the cultural reactions. It’s the part I put the most thought into.
Day 1 – Table Mountain
Late last night, Nick, James and I decided we were going bungee jumping. See, South Africa is home to the world’s highest bungee jump. Our neighbor, who really wanted to go, had done a bunch of research on the place. She informed us that it’s located in a really beautiful area with tons of other activities, and that it’s only an hour away. So we decided to do it.
I woke up ecstatic. I had been really nervous the night before, but I woke up pumped. I thought that was odd, but I didn’t really question it. Anyhow, at breakfast we were telling people our plans, and they looked at us inquisitively. People universally seemed to think that the site was seven hours away. So we asked Luzuko, the interport student, and he confirmed the worst: seven hour drive. We all found it so odd that our neighbor’s time estimate was completely wrong. She had done so much research, knowing the price, the numbers to call, even the bus line to take. When we later asked her why she thought the place was only an hour away, she told us she looked at a map and guesstimated. Some people.
Anyhow, we changed our plans and decided to hike Table Mountain. Brianna, the girl from spiritual dance who (I believe) wants my body, was hiking and had asked if we wanted to join. Brianna was going with our friend Jenna, so we decided to all hike together. Unfortunately, when Nick and I went back to our room, our annoying creationist neighbor, who we barely know, mind you, thrust herself into our plans. Which sucked, but resulted in hilarity. Because when we met Brianna’s group, her roommate Alexandra had done the same thing. So we now had two tagalongs, and all I could do was laugh.
Before we went to Table Mountain, we decided to go the Robben Island ticket office. On a prayer, we wanted to see if they had any tickets which could only be purchased at the office. Unfortunately, they did not. All the tickets were sold out. I honestly wanted to cry. But I didn’t, because I’m super tough.
After grabbing cash at an ATM, we took cabs to Table Mountain. Knowing that the cabs might get split up, I made sure to avoid the cab with Alexandra and the creationist. As it turned out, the cabs did get split up, and I ended up hiking with just Nick, Brianna, and Jenna. Boy did I feel bad for James, but I was glad to trim the fat off the group, so to speak.
The hike was absolutely incredible, and the view fantastic. I probably made one of my greatest metaphors of the trip when I likened the views we could see while hiking to foreplay. And the climax, of course, would be when we reached the top. I took this joke much further than necessary, as with each view I likened the foreplay to getting more intense. When I finally said “I think the penis has made an appearance,” Nick jumped in by saying “this landscape’s a slut.” Undoubtedly the line of the day.
But, as I was saying, the hike was gorgeous. It overlooked the city of Cape Town, as well as the majestic water. And as we got higher we could see Robben Island. But I was still too bummed about that to appreciate its beauty. Anyhow, I actually have Jenna to thank for how much I enjoyed the hike. Because she frequently rested, forcing us to take a slow pace. Had she not been there, I stupidly would have tried to be manly and brave the trail in an hour. But, had I done that, I would have failed to appreciate the fantastic views and crisp, fresh air.
Eventually we reached the top, where we ran into the group we came with. I took James aside and apologized, but he would hear none of it. It was actually they who separated from us, as evidenced by the fact that they beat us up without passing us.
The view from the top (or climax, so to speak), was stunning. We were literally in the clouds. Looking down to on the northern side of the mountain was a breathtakingly gorgeous beach, right up against the base of the mountain. And to the south was the city of Cape Town and the sparkling ocean. So we amused ourselves taking photos, and I got in a dancing video above the Cape Town cityscape.
But at this point it was about 2:30, and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. So I was relieved to get to the restaurant (yes, the restaurant is on the top of Table Mountain). I got a burger and beer combo. The burger was real thick, and had been drenched in this delicious brown sauce which was mostly savory but a bit sweet. Maybe it was because I was so hungry, but I thought it was one of the best burgers I had had in a long time.
After lunch, we decided we ought to head down. Unfortunately, the line for the gondola down was really long. We ended up waiting nearly two hours. And as we waited, the winds picked up. In turn, we all got cold. So we huddled up like penguins. Those little guys are damn clever; it’s a great strategy. The collection of body heat really warmed us all up.
Even better, Brianna, who had been showing me interest all day, held my hand while huddling up. It don’t get much clearer than that.
Once we finally got back, we hailed a cab. The goal was to get back to the ship around 6:00, because Brianna, Jenna and I all love spiritual dance. And that night Jenny Finn, the lovely lady who runs spiritual dance, had arranged to get a group dancing at a local studio in Cape Town. I caught the group just as they were leaving, but I decided not to tag along because I really needed to pee. It was all for the best, though, because I also wanted dinner.
Nick and I relaxed for a while and watched a bit of In Treatment, and then went out to the bar street with James, Earl, and Todd. Todd is the last roommate in the Tolan, James, and Earl quad. He’s a cool guy.
Anyhow, those guys went out in search of a bar, while Nick and I wanted dinner. We found a restaurant that looked pretty good, and I got a pizza and milkshake. Nick got a spicy chicken sandwich. The food was solid, but the most notable part of the meal was when a guy came up saying he was hungry and asked me for “a donation” (we were eating outside, pretty much right on the sidewalk). I’m not sure why, but I gave him a slice. And when I say I’m not sure why, it’s because he was totally undeserving. Unlike most South Africans, this guy was overweight. And when I gave him the slice, he had this gleeful look of self-satisfaction on his face. I guess I was just caught off-guard and wanted him to leave. Either way, I lost that round.
After dinner, Nick and I entertained the idea of going out. But we decided to just hail a cab back, because we were leaving to go shark diving at 6:00 am. Meaning we had to be up at 5:30.
Day 2 – Shark Diving
The cruel sound of my alarm rang at 5:30. Getting out of bed was tough, but Nick and I each popped up, knowing there was little time to spare. So we brushed our teeth, packed a day pack, and wearily met up with our group upstairs. Now nine people were confirmed as going, and, according to the email, we were free to bring more people along if we liked. Given the green light, I had invited Kenna and a friend of hers the day before, as they had asked me about my South Africa plans and then asked if they could tag along shark diving.
Upstairs, though, there was now a total of 14 people. When we got in touch with the company, we were told that we could only bring a maximum of 12. So Kenna and her friend volunteered to drop out. Which was a bummer, because going on a day trip with her could have been significant progress.
Anyhow, we boarded the company-provided van and drove east for two hours before arriving at the lodge, which is located near the Dyer Islands. It was on this drive that I began to get a sense of just how pretty South Africa is, as the prettiest landscape just extends as far as the eye can see. There are mountains, hills, and plains, all of which come in a variety of colors. I’ve never seen landscape with so many different colors and so many different types of terrain. I had planned on sleeping during the drive, but I just couldn’t stop staring at the landscape.
Once we got to the lodge, which was really just a beachfront house, we were served breakfast. I had expected the meal to just be fuel, but it turned out to be delicious. We were served eggs, croissants, fruit, yogurt, and granola. It was one of the better breakfasts I had eaten since getting on the ship.
After eating (and paying, of course; total cost was about $145), we went out on our Shark dive. We had to cruise for about 20 minutes in the boat to get to the shark area, and the ride out was phenomenal. We all rode on the roof of the boat, and, combining high speeds with choppy waters, it felt like a roller coaster.
Anyhow, once we got to the stop, we all put on wetsuits. The way the process works is that the cage is lowered into the water and divers get in wearing goggles, waiting with their heads above water. If a shark is nearby, the Divemaster will yell “down front (or left or right)!” Then divers take a deep breath and dive underwater, looking for the shark. The sharks are baited by dumping chum into the water around the boat (though, as a result, my swimsuit later smelt like rotting fish) and, subsequently, a tuna head. The Divemaster will throw an enormous tuna head into the water, which is attached to a rope. If a Great White comes for the tuna head, the Divemaster will pull it toward the cage, hoping to lure the shark as close as possible. The activity is perfectly safe, provided you keep all of your extremities in the cage.
Anyway, we were lucky for today’s shark dive. Within five minutes, we had a Great White come up near the cage. So group 1, my group, hopped into the cage. The water was freezing and a 12-foot Great White was only a few feet away, but for whatever reason I wasn’t nervous. Pretty soon, the Divemaster yelled “down front!” so I took a deep breath and ducked my head under the water. Right before my eyes was a 12-foot Great White. It was pretty breathtaking to see in the open ocean. And the second time we went down, when we saw it bite the bait, it was readily apparent that the thing was a killing machine. Its body is just one giant muscle; it can whip its tail with tremendous power. And it bites with astonishing force; one snap of its jaw could rip your leg right off.
So that was the first dive. Then my group got out of the water to give group 2 a turn. I thought it would be boring to be out of the water, but it was surprisingly fun to watch from the top. We could see the Great Whites swimming around the boat, and if we got lucky it would poke its head or tail out of the water.
Anyway, after a while we got to back in the water. When I hopped back in the cage, I realized that I’d completely forgotten how cold it was. I’ll just say that my nipples were really, really hard. So we had been in the cage for a while with no Great Whites around when we heard the Divemaster telling us that one was approaching. He yelled “down front” and I saw a different 12-footer following the bait to the cage. He took a few bites right against the cage. Though he didn’t bite down right in front of me (some guys got to see inside its mouth), the small fin on its side actually came into the cage. So I got to feel it for a couple of seconds. I could not believe how firm it was. Like I said, the thing is solid muscle.
So that was the highlight of the second dive. But it was the third dive that made my day. We didn’t actually switch groups at this point; two people in the second group just wanted to get out because they were cold. So I hopped in, immediately reminded why they wanted out. While I waited, I ran in place and did pull-ups using the top of the cage, just trying to keep my blood flowing. I ended up running in place under the girl next to me (her butt on my thighs) and she made a comment along the lines of “ooooh, Maxy, we’re getting pretty close.” I responded by saying “yeah, it’s too bad I’m way too cold for any blood to flow to my penis.” But I digress.
Out of nowhere, the Divemaster yells “down front! Quickly!” I dive down and I see 15-footer shooting straight for the cage. I was holding onto the front of the cage, and in my head I was thinking “yes! Come right at me!” Yet before I knew it, my body had taken me straight to the back of that cage, with my hands tightly gripping the back railing. But the Great White did indeed come right at me, and suddenly its head disappeared. It took me a second to realize its head was out of the water. So I pop up and see a Great White gnawing on this tuna head for a good 10 seconds. And it’s literally two feet from my face. It was just unreal.
Maybe twenty minutes after that insanity, we headed back in for a lunch of soup and sandwiches. Which was quite tasty. Back at the lodge, we were given the option to buy a DVD filmed by the boat’s cameraman. He got some pretty sweet footage, so we decided to buy one group copy and then share the files amongst ourselves.
After eating lunch and buying the DVD, we hung around the beach for about a half hour before being driven back to the ship. The drive took around two and a half hours, and I got maybe an hour of shut-eye. Not bad, but I wish I’d gotten in more snoozing.
After showering and resting up, Nick and I went out to dinner with our neighbors Blake and Alan. The coming weekend was the annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival, and tonight was the lone free show. So we knew we wanted to hit that up. We found an Irish pub near the concert grounds and decided to eat there. I got some chicken strips, which were delicious, and drank a few Black Labels.
Once we’d eaten, we headed to the festival. Which was awesome. We saw one group from Japan and one from Iceland, both groups were fantastic. Unfortunately, I’m not music or jazz savvy enough to describe their sounds any further. But I got video of each, and I’ll get some clips up when I again have unlimited internet.
Once the festival ended, we decided to check out the bar scene along with a group of SAS girls we ran into. We went to a bar with a bunch of locals, and inside I saw this woman, likely in her late fifties or early sixties, who was drunkenly dancing. I just had to dance with her. So I went up and asked if I could join her. Soon, I was dancing with a bunch of locals, one of which was a flamboyantly gay guy who hugged me, kissed me on the check, and told me “I love your energy!” Since I’d broken the ice, Nick and the girls soon joined in the dance party. It was a lot of fun. I hope I’m half as spunky as that woman when I’m her age.
Once the bar scene died down, Nick, Alan and I headed to the Clay Oven, where Nick and I had eaten dinner the previous night (Blake headed home after the festival because he had an early-morning wake-up). At the Clay Oven, we shared one last drink and talked about life before cabbing back to the ship and going to bed.
Day 3 – Garden Route Game Lodge
It was tough to wake up and meet my friend DJ and James for breakfast. But we had to, because today the four of us were headed to the Garden Route Game Lodge, located about 350 km east of Cape Town. Before leaving on Semester at Sea, I had researched safari options in South Africa. The SAS trips seemed far overpriced, and I was determined to take one independently, for far cheaper. I settled on the Garden Route Game Lodge because it had the Big 5 (Cape Buffalo, Cheetah, African Elephant, White Rhinoceros, and Lion), was very highly reviewed, on top of that, was the cheapest place near Cape Town – only $185 per person. It was a no brainer, really.
One thing it didn’t come with, however, was transportation. So we had to arrange for a private car. It was pricey ($50 per person each way), but we really didn’t have another option.
On our way to the downtown pickup spot, we walked by a couple of prototypical SoCal “bros.” They each had thoroughly gelled hair, tight shirts, board shorts, and expensive shades. One guy’s shirt read “SHRED ALL DAY.” It turned into a running joke for the next couple of days. We’d speculate about the guy’s facebook status, saying things like “Tim (that’s what I named him) is SHREDDING ALL DAY” or “Tim is tired from a full day of SHREDDING.” You get the idea.
According to the Game Lodge’s website, the ride would take around three and a half hours. And it’s a super scenic, which was nice. But because it was Easter weekend, the traffic was bad leaving Cape Town. We left at around 11:30, which we assumed was plenty of time to arrive before the 4:30 afternoon game drive. But we sat in traffic for well over an hour, and we began to get nervous that we wouldn’t make it in time for the drive. Luckily, traffic cleared up around 1:30, which eased our concerns.
We stopped in a small town called Caledon for lunch, but, since it was Good Friday, lots of restaurants were closed. We did find one place, though, which had great, cheap food. I had a cheeseburger topped with a fried egg, and it was absolutely phenomenal.
After lunch, we got back in our car and headed to the lodge. About a half hour into the ride, we realized that we were further from the Game Lodge than we’d originally thought. So we asked our driver to step on it. He put the pedal to the metal. He was passing all the slow drivers like a champ. And, due to kind drivers headed west alerting him with their brights, we avoided both speed traps that we came across. We got to the Game Lodge at 4:27, just in time to get on the Afternoon game drive.
Despite our late arrival, we actually got great seats in the jeep. I took the front seat next to our guide, which was unoccupied, and is actually is the best seat one can get. And since we got on last, people who had been sitting on the sides scooted in, giving Nick, DJ, and Earl all seats along the side (in different rows). Ca-ching!
Anyhow, our Afternoon game drive was sweet. The first animals we saw were Cape Buffalo, right up close. In the wild, it would be impossible to get as close to these things as we did. Because they are super aggressive and prone to charging without warning. But because it’s a game reserve, the animals are semi-tame and used to the jeeps. We got within 15 feet of buffalo.
Next we saw male ostriches, which are hilarious. They are just so weird. I loved watching them eat. It’s as if their tiny little head is attached to an arm.
After we saw the ostriches we saw zebras, which are just stunningly beautiful animals. Their coats are marvelous.
Once we’d seen the zebras, we went to the elephant enclosure. The elephants had to be kept separately because they had been fighting the rhinos. First the male elephant killed a female rhino, and then the male rhino killed a female elephant. How would a rhino take down an elephant, you ask? It gets under the elephants belly and then stabs it repeatedly in the stomach, using its horn.
But that delightful story aside, the elephants were awesome. The male was trying to get its hump on and the female would have none of it, which led to some delightful pictures. I’m talking elephant kisses, people. Apparently they don’t happen when the elephants are going to mate, but rather when the female is rejecting male advances. So, way to go, human race. You’ve successfully glorified elephant rape.
After seeing the elephants, we went to try to find the cheetah. Our guide speculated that it would be hungry and want to hunt. We saw it hanging out in the corner of the park, trying to get its hunt on. But nothing was close. The male ostriches had actually wandered nearby, and our guide told us that the cheetah was going to try for them. We got to see it slink into running position, and then spring into a sprint. It was awesome. And those ostriches, which are damn fast themselves, took off running. They didn’t stop until they reached the other side of the reserve. It was great.
At this point it was starting to get dark, but we quickly went to see the lions. The lions, like the elephants, have a separate enclosure. Free-roaming lions require at least 3000 hectares of space (1 hectare equals roughly 2.5 acres), and the park is only 1000 hectares. And I doubt the park wants the lions rapidly killing the all animals living there.
Regardless, we got to see the lions as they were feeding. They’d be given a dead cow, and were going to town. But we didn’t get a great view of them, because it was kind of dark and the females were feeding at least 50 yards away. The male was closer, but he was sleeping.
So we left the lion enclosure, heading back to lodge. On our way back, we saw the male rhino eating grass in the open field. Apparently rhinos spend 70% of their days eating grass. That is a damn gluttonous lifestyle. Anyhow, the rhino was cool to see, but since it was dark I was determined to see one again the following morning.
Once we returned to the lodge, we went to the bar for some free shots of sherry liquor. I’d never heard of it, but it is equivalent in alcohol content to sake. I really enjoyed the taste of the sherry, it was nice and sweet.
After tossing back the sherry, we went to the front desk and got the keys to our bungalows. They were actually fantastic; comfortable yet delightfully quaint. Each bungalow, constructed with expensive-looking wood, had two twin beds pushed together, a bathroom, and a small television. I remarked to James, with whom I was sharing a bungalow, that the Garden Route Game Lodge would be a great place to honeymoon.
Anyway, we dropped our stuff in our rooms and headed to dinner. Which was included. And was a buffet. And was incredible. They had a grill with skewers and lamb chops. The skewers were tasty, but the lamb chops were the most delicious I had ever eaten. They also had a full desert bar with mint chocolate mousse, crème brûlée, and these amazing custard-filled little pastries. First free drinks, then sweet rooms, then an incredible buffet? I was loving this resort more and more by the second.
After dinner we all went back to the bar, where James and Nick started chatting up these two Dutch girls. DJ occupied himself on the computer with free internet. I was so exhausted, I just went to bed. It was about 9:30. And I’m officially an old man.
Day 4 – Garden Route Game Lodge
I woke up at 6:45 for a 7:15 game drive. The drive was sweet. I again sat in the front, which gave me a lot of control over what we saw. Because our guide kept asking me what I wanted to see next.
We started by seeing the lions, where we got great views of both the male and a female. We were able to get very close to the male, because our guide tells us that he is fat and lazy. Females are more aggressive, so we kept our distance. We tried to goad it into chasing the car as we drove by (it’s got no chance of catching us if we’re already moving), but to no avail.
As we left the lion enclosure, we got amazingly close to the male white rhino. It literally came only feet from the jeep. I got a great video of me pretending to pet it, scratch its chin, play “got your horn,” and give it a French tickler.
Near the end of the drive, we again found the cheetah. It was on the prowl, but, unfortunately, it never sprang into action.
After the game drive, we got a buffet breakfast. Again, included. And it was unbelievable; the best breakfast I’ve had in recent memory. There was fresh fruit, nuts, yogurt, toast, bacon, two kinds of sausages, crepes, and eggs and omelets made to order. I ate probably four plates of food, and was not hungry again until dinner.
After breakfast we checked out the Game Lodge’s reptile park and cheetah reserve. Both of which were cool, but nothing to write home about. So I won’t any further. HAHAHAHA.
So we left the cheetah reserve and met up with the car we arranged to drive us back to Cape Town. We decided to stop in Somerset West, looking for a supermarket at which to buy snacks. Though we were unsuccessful in our supermarket quest, we did find a market located right on an absolutely striking coastline. I bought a couple pieces of art and two great hats: a fancy-looking white hat (not a top hat but something you’d wear with a suit) and, this one was my favorite, a hat saying “I Love Jesus.” Now, to truly describe just how amazing this hat is, I must go into more detail. The front of the hat has a capital I, followed by a red heart, in which the word “Love” is inscribed in cursive, and then the word “Jesus.” But what truly makes this hat so awesome is the fact that it tries so hard to look cool and flashy. The hat is black, but there’s a cool-looking white pattern which covers the sides of the hat and the front of the brim. And in said pattern on the front of the brim the word Jesus is written again, this time in block letters. The hat is so goddamn perfect.
Anyway, once we got souvenirs we returned to the ship. Nick and James, who had stayed in contact with the Dutch girls from the night before, were going to meet them somewhere in Cape Town. So DJ and I decided to go out. We grabbed a bite on the top deck and then went to this placed called Ivy League, which advertised free drinks from 8:00 to 10:00 with a 30 Rand cover. But when we got there, at this point it was around 8:30, we learned that they changed the deal to free drinks from 9:00 to 10:00 for 40 Rand. So I talked to the manager and got DJ and myself in for half price.
There was a healthy mix of SASers and locals at this Ivy League place, and I eventually started chatting with these two awesome local guys, Sima and Luzuko. I spent the next two hours or so drinking and chatting with these dudes, mostly about girls and what it’s like to live in South Africa. They took me out to a couple other bars they liked, and eventually we reached this pub they liked called Dublin.
While I was sitting outside Dublin sharing a brew with Sima and Lu, I was approached by this British girl on SAS who I barely knew. She sat down and started going on about how much she loves my music (truthfully, I probably ought to say she started telling me how much she loves my comedy, but it’s cooler to say how much she loves my music. Makes me feel like I’m in a band). Before long, she tells me/lets it slip that she has a friend who “fancies” me. So I pry her for a name, but she won’t budge. But she will tell me that this girl, who will remain nameless, has had multiple erotic dreams featuring yours truly. Now I tell her that she’s gotta give me a name, and she eventually cracks telling me that her name is Amy. Well wouldn’t ya know it, Amy is a super cute girl in one of my art classes who regularly goes to spiritual dance. I totally had gotten a friend vibe from her. I suppose I’m even worse at reading women than I thought.
So I keep talking with Sima and Luzuko for a while, but then I figure I ought to go looking for Amy, who was supposedly inside. After giving both Sima and Lu a big hug, Luzuko takes out his empty pack of cigarettes and writes both his name and Sima’s on the pack. I’ll be facebook friending them as soon as I get home.
As luck would have it, my Amy search was unsuccessful. But I did cab back to the ship with a big ego boost.
Day 1 – Table Mountain
Late last night, Nick, James and I decided we were going bungee jumping. See, South Africa is home to the world’s highest bungee jump. Our neighbor, who really wanted to go, had done a bunch of research on the place. She informed us that it’s located in a really beautiful area with tons of other activities, and that it’s only an hour away. So we decided to do it.
I woke up ecstatic. I had been really nervous the night before, but I woke up pumped. I thought that was odd, but I didn’t really question it. Anyhow, at breakfast we were telling people our plans, and they looked at us inquisitively. People universally seemed to think that the site was seven hours away. So we asked Luzuko, the interport student, and he confirmed the worst: seven hour drive. We all found it so odd that our neighbor’s time estimate was completely wrong. She had done so much research, knowing the price, the numbers to call, even the bus line to take. When we later asked her why she thought the place was only an hour away, she told us she looked at a map and guesstimated. Some people.
Anyhow, we changed our plans and decided to hike Table Mountain. Brianna, the girl from spiritual dance who (I believe) wants my body, was hiking and had asked if we wanted to join. Brianna was going with our friend Jenna, so we decided to all hike together. Unfortunately, when Nick and I went back to our room, our annoying creationist neighbor, who we barely know, mind you, thrust herself into our plans. Which sucked, but resulted in hilarity. Because when we met Brianna’s group, her roommate Alexandra had done the same thing. So we now had two tagalongs, and all I could do was laugh.
Before we went to Table Mountain, we decided to go the Robben Island ticket office. On a prayer, we wanted to see if they had any tickets which could only be purchased at the office. Unfortunately, they did not. All the tickets were sold out. I honestly wanted to cry. But I didn’t, because I’m super tough.
After grabbing cash at an ATM, we took cabs to Table Mountain. Knowing that the cabs might get split up, I made sure to avoid the cab with Alexandra and the creationist. As it turned out, the cabs did get split up, and I ended up hiking with just Nick, Brianna, and Jenna. Boy did I feel bad for James, but I was glad to trim the fat off the group, so to speak.
The hike was absolutely incredible, and the view fantastic. I probably made one of my greatest metaphors of the trip when I likened the views we could see while hiking to foreplay. And the climax, of course, would be when we reached the top. I took this joke much further than necessary, as with each view I likened the foreplay to getting more intense. When I finally said “I think the penis has made an appearance,” Nick jumped in by saying “this landscape’s a slut.” Undoubtedly the line of the day.
But, as I was saying, the hike was gorgeous. It overlooked the city of Cape Town, as well as the majestic water. And as we got higher we could see Robben Island. But I was still too bummed about that to appreciate its beauty. Anyhow, I actually have Jenna to thank for how much I enjoyed the hike. Because she frequently rested, forcing us to take a slow pace. Had she not been there, I stupidly would have tried to be manly and brave the trail in an hour. But, had I done that, I would have failed to appreciate the fantastic views and crisp, fresh air.
Eventually we reached the top, where we ran into the group we came with. I took James aside and apologized, but he would hear none of it. It was actually they who separated from us, as evidenced by the fact that they beat us up without passing us.
The view from the top (or climax, so to speak), was stunning. We were literally in the clouds. Looking down to on the northern side of the mountain was a breathtakingly gorgeous beach, right up against the base of the mountain. And to the south was the city of Cape Town and the sparkling ocean. So we amused ourselves taking photos, and I got in a dancing video above the Cape Town cityscape.
But at this point it was about 2:30, and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. So I was relieved to get to the restaurant (yes, the restaurant is on the top of Table Mountain). I got a burger and beer combo. The burger was real thick, and had been drenched in this delicious brown sauce which was mostly savory but a bit sweet. Maybe it was because I was so hungry, but I thought it was one of the best burgers I had had in a long time.
After lunch, we decided we ought to head down. Unfortunately, the line for the gondola down was really long. We ended up waiting nearly two hours. And as we waited, the winds picked up. In turn, we all got cold. So we huddled up like penguins. Those little guys are damn clever; it’s a great strategy. The collection of body heat really warmed us all up.
Even better, Brianna, who had been showing me interest all day, held my hand while huddling up. It don’t get much clearer than that.
Once we finally got back, we hailed a cab. The goal was to get back to the ship around 6:00, because Brianna, Jenna and I all love spiritual dance. And that night Jenny Finn, the lovely lady who runs spiritual dance, had arranged to get a group dancing at a local studio in Cape Town. I caught the group just as they were leaving, but I decided not to tag along because I really needed to pee. It was all for the best, though, because I also wanted dinner.
Nick and I relaxed for a while and watched a bit of In Treatment, and then went out to the bar street with James, Earl, and Todd. Todd is the last roommate in the Tolan, James, and Earl quad. He’s a cool guy.
Anyhow, those guys went out in search of a bar, while Nick and I wanted dinner. We found a restaurant that looked pretty good, and I got a pizza and milkshake. Nick got a spicy chicken sandwich. The food was solid, but the most notable part of the meal was when a guy came up saying he was hungry and asked me for “a donation” (we were eating outside, pretty much right on the sidewalk). I’m not sure why, but I gave him a slice. And when I say I’m not sure why, it’s because he was totally undeserving. Unlike most South Africans, this guy was overweight. And when I gave him the slice, he had this gleeful look of self-satisfaction on his face. I guess I was just caught off-guard and wanted him to leave. Either way, I lost that round.
After dinner, Nick and I entertained the idea of going out. But we decided to just hail a cab back, because we were leaving to go shark diving at 6:00 am. Meaning we had to be up at 5:30.
Day 2 – Shark Diving
The cruel sound of my alarm rang at 5:30. Getting out of bed was tough, but Nick and I each popped up, knowing there was little time to spare. So we brushed our teeth, packed a day pack, and wearily met up with our group upstairs. Now nine people were confirmed as going, and, according to the email, we were free to bring more people along if we liked. Given the green light, I had invited Kenna and a friend of hers the day before, as they had asked me about my South Africa plans and then asked if they could tag along shark diving.
Upstairs, though, there was now a total of 14 people. When we got in touch with the company, we were told that we could only bring a maximum of 12. So Kenna and her friend volunteered to drop out. Which was a bummer, because going on a day trip with her could have been significant progress.
Anyhow, we boarded the company-provided van and drove east for two hours before arriving at the lodge, which is located near the Dyer Islands. It was on this drive that I began to get a sense of just how pretty South Africa is, as the prettiest landscape just extends as far as the eye can see. There are mountains, hills, and plains, all of which come in a variety of colors. I’ve never seen landscape with so many different colors and so many different types of terrain. I had planned on sleeping during the drive, but I just couldn’t stop staring at the landscape.
Once we got to the lodge, which was really just a beachfront house, we were served breakfast. I had expected the meal to just be fuel, but it turned out to be delicious. We were served eggs, croissants, fruit, yogurt, and granola. It was one of the better breakfasts I had eaten since getting on the ship.
After eating (and paying, of course; total cost was about $145), we went out on our Shark dive. We had to cruise for about 20 minutes in the boat to get to the shark area, and the ride out was phenomenal. We all rode on the roof of the boat, and, combining high speeds with choppy waters, it felt like a roller coaster.
Anyhow, once we got to the stop, we all put on wetsuits. The way the process works is that the cage is lowered into the water and divers get in wearing goggles, waiting with their heads above water. If a shark is nearby, the Divemaster will yell “down front (or left or right)!” Then divers take a deep breath and dive underwater, looking for the shark. The sharks are baited by dumping chum into the water around the boat (though, as a result, my swimsuit later smelt like rotting fish) and, subsequently, a tuna head. The Divemaster will throw an enormous tuna head into the water, which is attached to a rope. If a Great White comes for the tuna head, the Divemaster will pull it toward the cage, hoping to lure the shark as close as possible. The activity is perfectly safe, provided you keep all of your extremities in the cage.
Anyway, we were lucky for today’s shark dive. Within five minutes, we had a Great White come up near the cage. So group 1, my group, hopped into the cage. The water was freezing and a 12-foot Great White was only a few feet away, but for whatever reason I wasn’t nervous. Pretty soon, the Divemaster yelled “down front!” so I took a deep breath and ducked my head under the water. Right before my eyes was a 12-foot Great White. It was pretty breathtaking to see in the open ocean. And the second time we went down, when we saw it bite the bait, it was readily apparent that the thing was a killing machine. Its body is just one giant muscle; it can whip its tail with tremendous power. And it bites with astonishing force; one snap of its jaw could rip your leg right off.
So that was the first dive. Then my group got out of the water to give group 2 a turn. I thought it would be boring to be out of the water, but it was surprisingly fun to watch from the top. We could see the Great Whites swimming around the boat, and if we got lucky it would poke its head or tail out of the water.
Anyway, after a while we got to back in the water. When I hopped back in the cage, I realized that I’d completely forgotten how cold it was. I’ll just say that my nipples were really, really hard. So we had been in the cage for a while with no Great Whites around when we heard the Divemaster telling us that one was approaching. He yelled “down front” and I saw a different 12-footer following the bait to the cage. He took a few bites right against the cage. Though he didn’t bite down right in front of me (some guys got to see inside its mouth), the small fin on its side actually came into the cage. So I got to feel it for a couple of seconds. I could not believe how firm it was. Like I said, the thing is solid muscle.
So that was the highlight of the second dive. But it was the third dive that made my day. We didn’t actually switch groups at this point; two people in the second group just wanted to get out because they were cold. So I hopped in, immediately reminded why they wanted out. While I waited, I ran in place and did pull-ups using the top of the cage, just trying to keep my blood flowing. I ended up running in place under the girl next to me (her butt on my thighs) and she made a comment along the lines of “ooooh, Maxy, we’re getting pretty close.” I responded by saying “yeah, it’s too bad I’m way too cold for any blood to flow to my penis.” But I digress.
Out of nowhere, the Divemaster yells “down front! Quickly!” I dive down and I see 15-footer shooting straight for the cage. I was holding onto the front of the cage, and in my head I was thinking “yes! Come right at me!” Yet before I knew it, my body had taken me straight to the back of that cage, with my hands tightly gripping the back railing. But the Great White did indeed come right at me, and suddenly its head disappeared. It took me a second to realize its head was out of the water. So I pop up and see a Great White gnawing on this tuna head for a good 10 seconds. And it’s literally two feet from my face. It was just unreal.
Maybe twenty minutes after that insanity, we headed back in for a lunch of soup and sandwiches. Which was quite tasty. Back at the lodge, we were given the option to buy a DVD filmed by the boat’s cameraman. He got some pretty sweet footage, so we decided to buy one group copy and then share the files amongst ourselves.
After eating lunch and buying the DVD, we hung around the beach for about a half hour before being driven back to the ship. The drive took around two and a half hours, and I got maybe an hour of shut-eye. Not bad, but I wish I’d gotten in more snoozing.
After showering and resting up, Nick and I went out to dinner with our neighbors Blake and Alan. The coming weekend was the annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival, and tonight was the lone free show. So we knew we wanted to hit that up. We found an Irish pub near the concert grounds and decided to eat there. I got some chicken strips, which were delicious, and drank a few Black Labels.
Once we’d eaten, we headed to the festival. Which was awesome. We saw one group from Japan and one from Iceland, both groups were fantastic. Unfortunately, I’m not music or jazz savvy enough to describe their sounds any further. But I got video of each, and I’ll get some clips up when I again have unlimited internet.
Once the festival ended, we decided to check out the bar scene along with a group of SAS girls we ran into. We went to a bar with a bunch of locals, and inside I saw this woman, likely in her late fifties or early sixties, who was drunkenly dancing. I just had to dance with her. So I went up and asked if I could join her. Soon, I was dancing with a bunch of locals, one of which was a flamboyantly gay guy who hugged me, kissed me on the check, and told me “I love your energy!” Since I’d broken the ice, Nick and the girls soon joined in the dance party. It was a lot of fun. I hope I’m half as spunky as that woman when I’m her age.
Once the bar scene died down, Nick, Alan and I headed to the Clay Oven, where Nick and I had eaten dinner the previous night (Blake headed home after the festival because he had an early-morning wake-up). At the Clay Oven, we shared one last drink and talked about life before cabbing back to the ship and going to bed.
Day 3 – Garden Route Game Lodge
It was tough to wake up and meet my friend DJ and James for breakfast. But we had to, because today the four of us were headed to the Garden Route Game Lodge, located about 350 km east of Cape Town. Before leaving on Semester at Sea, I had researched safari options in South Africa. The SAS trips seemed far overpriced, and I was determined to take one independently, for far cheaper. I settled on the Garden Route Game Lodge because it had the Big 5 (Cape Buffalo, Cheetah, African Elephant, White Rhinoceros, and Lion), was very highly reviewed, on top of that, was the cheapest place near Cape Town – only $185 per person. It was a no brainer, really.
One thing it didn’t come with, however, was transportation. So we had to arrange for a private car. It was pricey ($50 per person each way), but we really didn’t have another option.
On our way to the downtown pickup spot, we walked by a couple of prototypical SoCal “bros.” They each had thoroughly gelled hair, tight shirts, board shorts, and expensive shades. One guy’s shirt read “SHRED ALL DAY.” It turned into a running joke for the next couple of days. We’d speculate about the guy’s facebook status, saying things like “Tim (that’s what I named him) is SHREDDING ALL DAY” or “Tim is tired from a full day of SHREDDING.” You get the idea.
According to the Game Lodge’s website, the ride would take around three and a half hours. And it’s a super scenic, which was nice. But because it was Easter weekend, the traffic was bad leaving Cape Town. We left at around 11:30, which we assumed was plenty of time to arrive before the 4:30 afternoon game drive. But we sat in traffic for well over an hour, and we began to get nervous that we wouldn’t make it in time for the drive. Luckily, traffic cleared up around 1:30, which eased our concerns.
We stopped in a small town called Caledon for lunch, but, since it was Good Friday, lots of restaurants were closed. We did find one place, though, which had great, cheap food. I had a cheeseburger topped with a fried egg, and it was absolutely phenomenal.
After lunch, we got back in our car and headed to the lodge. About a half hour into the ride, we realized that we were further from the Game Lodge than we’d originally thought. So we asked our driver to step on it. He put the pedal to the metal. He was passing all the slow drivers like a champ. And, due to kind drivers headed west alerting him with their brights, we avoided both speed traps that we came across. We got to the Game Lodge at 4:27, just in time to get on the Afternoon game drive.
Despite our late arrival, we actually got great seats in the jeep. I took the front seat next to our guide, which was unoccupied, and is actually is the best seat one can get. And since we got on last, people who had been sitting on the sides scooted in, giving Nick, DJ, and Earl all seats along the side (in different rows). Ca-ching!
Anyhow, our Afternoon game drive was sweet. The first animals we saw were Cape Buffalo, right up close. In the wild, it would be impossible to get as close to these things as we did. Because they are super aggressive and prone to charging without warning. But because it’s a game reserve, the animals are semi-tame and used to the jeeps. We got within 15 feet of buffalo.
Next we saw male ostriches, which are hilarious. They are just so weird. I loved watching them eat. It’s as if their tiny little head is attached to an arm.
After we saw the ostriches we saw zebras, which are just stunningly beautiful animals. Their coats are marvelous.
Once we’d seen the zebras, we went to the elephant enclosure. The elephants had to be kept separately because they had been fighting the rhinos. First the male elephant killed a female rhino, and then the male rhino killed a female elephant. How would a rhino take down an elephant, you ask? It gets under the elephants belly and then stabs it repeatedly in the stomach, using its horn.
But that delightful story aside, the elephants were awesome. The male was trying to get its hump on and the female would have none of it, which led to some delightful pictures. I’m talking elephant kisses, people. Apparently they don’t happen when the elephants are going to mate, but rather when the female is rejecting male advances. So, way to go, human race. You’ve successfully glorified elephant rape.
After seeing the elephants, we went to try to find the cheetah. Our guide speculated that it would be hungry and want to hunt. We saw it hanging out in the corner of the park, trying to get its hunt on. But nothing was close. The male ostriches had actually wandered nearby, and our guide told us that the cheetah was going to try for them. We got to see it slink into running position, and then spring into a sprint. It was awesome. And those ostriches, which are damn fast themselves, took off running. They didn’t stop until they reached the other side of the reserve. It was great.
At this point it was starting to get dark, but we quickly went to see the lions. The lions, like the elephants, have a separate enclosure. Free-roaming lions require at least 3000 hectares of space (1 hectare equals roughly 2.5 acres), and the park is only 1000 hectares. And I doubt the park wants the lions rapidly killing the all animals living there.
Regardless, we got to see the lions as they were feeding. They’d be given a dead cow, and were going to town. But we didn’t get a great view of them, because it was kind of dark and the females were feeding at least 50 yards away. The male was closer, but he was sleeping.
So we left the lion enclosure, heading back to lodge. On our way back, we saw the male rhino eating grass in the open field. Apparently rhinos spend 70% of their days eating grass. That is a damn gluttonous lifestyle. Anyhow, the rhino was cool to see, but since it was dark I was determined to see one again the following morning.
Once we returned to the lodge, we went to the bar for some free shots of sherry liquor. I’d never heard of it, but it is equivalent in alcohol content to sake. I really enjoyed the taste of the sherry, it was nice and sweet.
After tossing back the sherry, we went to the front desk and got the keys to our bungalows. They were actually fantastic; comfortable yet delightfully quaint. Each bungalow, constructed with expensive-looking wood, had two twin beds pushed together, a bathroom, and a small television. I remarked to James, with whom I was sharing a bungalow, that the Garden Route Game Lodge would be a great place to honeymoon.
Anyway, we dropped our stuff in our rooms and headed to dinner. Which was included. And was a buffet. And was incredible. They had a grill with skewers and lamb chops. The skewers were tasty, but the lamb chops were the most delicious I had ever eaten. They also had a full desert bar with mint chocolate mousse, crème brûlée, and these amazing custard-filled little pastries. First free drinks, then sweet rooms, then an incredible buffet? I was loving this resort more and more by the second.
After dinner we all went back to the bar, where James and Nick started chatting up these two Dutch girls. DJ occupied himself on the computer with free internet. I was so exhausted, I just went to bed. It was about 9:30. And I’m officially an old man.
Day 4 – Garden Route Game Lodge
I woke up at 6:45 for a 7:15 game drive. The drive was sweet. I again sat in the front, which gave me a lot of control over what we saw. Because our guide kept asking me what I wanted to see next.
We started by seeing the lions, where we got great views of both the male and a female. We were able to get very close to the male, because our guide tells us that he is fat and lazy. Females are more aggressive, so we kept our distance. We tried to goad it into chasing the car as we drove by (it’s got no chance of catching us if we’re already moving), but to no avail.
As we left the lion enclosure, we got amazingly close to the male white rhino. It literally came only feet from the jeep. I got a great video of me pretending to pet it, scratch its chin, play “got your horn,” and give it a French tickler.
Near the end of the drive, we again found the cheetah. It was on the prowl, but, unfortunately, it never sprang into action.
After the game drive, we got a buffet breakfast. Again, included. And it was unbelievable; the best breakfast I’ve had in recent memory. There was fresh fruit, nuts, yogurt, toast, bacon, two kinds of sausages, crepes, and eggs and omelets made to order. I ate probably four plates of food, and was not hungry again until dinner.
After breakfast we checked out the Game Lodge’s reptile park and cheetah reserve. Both of which were cool, but nothing to write home about. So I won’t any further. HAHAHAHA.
So we left the cheetah reserve and met up with the car we arranged to drive us back to Cape Town. We decided to stop in Somerset West, looking for a supermarket at which to buy snacks. Though we were unsuccessful in our supermarket quest, we did find a market located right on an absolutely striking coastline. I bought a couple pieces of art and two great hats: a fancy-looking white hat (not a top hat but something you’d wear with a suit) and, this one was my favorite, a hat saying “I Love Jesus.” Now, to truly describe just how amazing this hat is, I must go into more detail. The front of the hat has a capital I, followed by a red heart, in which the word “Love” is inscribed in cursive, and then the word “Jesus.” But what truly makes this hat so awesome is the fact that it tries so hard to look cool and flashy. The hat is black, but there’s a cool-looking white pattern which covers the sides of the hat and the front of the brim. And in said pattern on the front of the brim the word Jesus is written again, this time in block letters. The hat is so goddamn perfect.
Anyway, once we got souvenirs we returned to the ship. Nick and James, who had stayed in contact with the Dutch girls from the night before, were going to meet them somewhere in Cape Town. So DJ and I decided to go out. We grabbed a bite on the top deck and then went to this placed called Ivy League, which advertised free drinks from 8:00 to 10:00 with a 30 Rand cover. But when we got there, at this point it was around 8:30, we learned that they changed the deal to free drinks from 9:00 to 10:00 for 40 Rand. So I talked to the manager and got DJ and myself in for half price.
There was a healthy mix of SASers and locals at this Ivy League place, and I eventually started chatting with these two awesome local guys, Sima and Luzuko. I spent the next two hours or so drinking and chatting with these dudes, mostly about girls and what it’s like to live in South Africa. They took me out to a couple other bars they liked, and eventually we reached this pub they liked called Dublin.
While I was sitting outside Dublin sharing a brew with Sima and Lu, I was approached by this British girl on SAS who I barely knew. She sat down and started going on about how much she loves my music (truthfully, I probably ought to say she started telling me how much she loves my comedy, but it’s cooler to say how much she loves my music. Makes me feel like I’m in a band). Before long, she tells me/lets it slip that she has a friend who “fancies” me. So I pry her for a name, but she won’t budge. But she will tell me that this girl, who will remain nameless, has had multiple erotic dreams featuring yours truly. Now I tell her that she’s gotta give me a name, and she eventually cracks telling me that her name is Amy. Well wouldn’t ya know it, Amy is a super cute girl in one of my art classes who regularly goes to spiritual dance. I totally had gotten a friend vibe from her. I suppose I’m even worse at reading women than I thought.
So I keep talking with Sima and Luzuko for a while, but then I figure I ought to go looking for Amy, who was supposedly inside. After giving both Sima and Lu a big hug, Luzuko takes out his empty pack of cigarettes and writes both his name and Sima’s on the pack. I’ll be facebook friending them as soon as I get home.
As luck would have it, my Amy search was unsuccessful. But I did cab back to the ship with a big ego boost.
Day 72 – At Sea
Tomorrow we would be in South Africa, and I was inexcusably behind on my journal. So I made journaling my top priority of the day, and was able to get through six days at sea. That put me up to Mauritius. I was hoping to be all caught up by the time I reached South Africa, but my allergic reaction really messed up my plans.
In the afternoon I had painting class, but I had to leave early to register for classes at Oxy (don’t remind me that I have to leave this paradise). Luckily, I got a good registration time and was able to sign up for all the classes that I wanted. Unfortunately, my schedule sucks. The class I’ve been dreading and must take for my Theater minor—Intro to Tech Theatre—is taught from 3:30-4:30 MWF. So I’ll be in class until 4:30 every Friday. F my life.
And the news got worse when I researched South Africa, as tickets to Robben Island were sold out. I was just devastated. Because I’d read Mandela’s autobiography, the thing I most looked forward to was seeing his cell. But, because of the World Cup, tickets sold out via the internet well in advance. I wish we were given adequate internet access on the ship, then I would have been informed and been able to buy tickets long before they sold out.
But despite my schedule and Robben Island disappointments, I went to bed excited. South Africa tomorrow! Professor Hebert (one of my favorite teachers back at Oxy) has always claimed that South Africa is the coolest, prettiest place on earth. I drifted off to sleep hoping that it would live up to the hype.
In the afternoon I had painting class, but I had to leave early to register for classes at Oxy (don’t remind me that I have to leave this paradise). Luckily, I got a good registration time and was able to sign up for all the classes that I wanted. Unfortunately, my schedule sucks. The class I’ve been dreading and must take for my Theater minor—Intro to Tech Theatre—is taught from 3:30-4:30 MWF. So I’ll be in class until 4:30 every Friday. F my life.
And the news got worse when I researched South Africa, as tickets to Robben Island were sold out. I was just devastated. Because I’d read Mandela’s autobiography, the thing I most looked forward to was seeing his cell. But, because of the World Cup, tickets sold out via the internet well in advance. I wish we were given adequate internet access on the ship, then I would have been informed and been able to buy tickets long before they sold out.
But despite my schedule and Robben Island disappointments, I went to bed excited. South Africa tomorrow! Professor Hebert (one of my favorite teachers back at Oxy) has always claimed that South Africa is the coolest, prettiest place on earth. I drifted off to sleep hoping that it would live up to the hype.
Day 71 – At Sea
Busy B day with the long block of classes, but I was able to get some stuff done outside the classroom. As far as my journal, I finished my India post. You’re all welcome, people living vicariously through my blog (though, in all honesty, I doubt that there are many).
At my SeaTV production meeting, I pitched what I thought was my funniest segment idea yet: Don as Hugh Hefner. See, Don is our Global Studies professor, and, despite being in his 60s or 70s, he has this incredible vitality. He’s in fantastic shape and is just unbelievably enthusiastic. Because of his unique personality, many of the female students have this weird crush on him. So I thought it would be hilarious to allude to him as Hef. My team absolutely loved it, but I ran into him that evening and, sadly, big Don shut me down.
For dinner, I went to the ship’s Passover Seder. Aren’t ya proud, Mom? I even read a small portion of a prayer. The food was actually quite good, despite the lack of bread. They had some fantastic chicken. It was the best I’d eaten on the ship. But the matzo ball soup, unfortunately, was underwhelming.
After dinner I did some investigating, trying to figure out if peanuts had somehow triggered my allergic reaction the previous day. It turns out that the chicken served at lunch, about which I had raved and with which I stuffed my face (Editor’s note: that is so pretentiously worded, but I’m tired and not changing it), had peanut butter in the sauce. I must have missed the label. The weird part is how long it took my body to react; it took well over two hours. And while my reactions typically take place exclusively inside my mouth, this reaction was mostly felt in my scalp, face, and hands (though my whole body was somewhat itchy). So I guess the mystery is somewhat solved, but my reaction was still highly atypical.
After dinner was the Crew Talent Show, which promised to be a blast. I wanted to get there early to make sure I had good seats. When I arrived in the Union, I found the place virtually empty, though people had saved the best seats with sweatshirts. I am a firm believer that a person needs to be physically present to save a seat, so I just moved a shirt and took a seat.
A half hour a later, a student came back and berated me for taking “his” seat. He was a Chinese exchange student, and he had the nerve to accuse me of being racist and targeting him for being Chinese. When he said that, I actually laughed in his face. Once I got a hold of myself, I hit him with the following: “so you’re implying that I’m targeting you for being Chinese? How on earth could I know by your sweatshirt that you are a Chinese exchange student? That’s all I had to go by, you know, a sweatshirt. Because you weren’t here. So no, I’m not targeting you for being Chinese. On the contrary, I’m targeting you for being a self-righteous asshole who thinks he has the right to reserve one of the best seats in the house with an article of clothing while everyone else does it by physically sitting in a chair and waiting around. Because that’s what you do if you believe in fairness.” Game, set, match, buddy. He ended up sitting pretty close to me during the Talent Show, and he was stewing hardcore.
The Talent Show itself was awesome. There were some very impressive acts, but mostly they were the endearing variety. Our crew is just so cool, it was great to see them living up the spotlight.
At my SeaTV production meeting, I pitched what I thought was my funniest segment idea yet: Don as Hugh Hefner. See, Don is our Global Studies professor, and, despite being in his 60s or 70s, he has this incredible vitality. He’s in fantastic shape and is just unbelievably enthusiastic. Because of his unique personality, many of the female students have this weird crush on him. So I thought it would be hilarious to allude to him as Hef. My team absolutely loved it, but I ran into him that evening and, sadly, big Don shut me down.
For dinner, I went to the ship’s Passover Seder. Aren’t ya proud, Mom? I even read a small portion of a prayer. The food was actually quite good, despite the lack of bread. They had some fantastic chicken. It was the best I’d eaten on the ship. But the matzo ball soup, unfortunately, was underwhelming.
After dinner I did some investigating, trying to figure out if peanuts had somehow triggered my allergic reaction the previous day. It turns out that the chicken served at lunch, about which I had raved and with which I stuffed my face (Editor’s note: that is so pretentiously worded, but I’m tired and not changing it), had peanut butter in the sauce. I must have missed the label. The weird part is how long it took my body to react; it took well over two hours. And while my reactions typically take place exclusively inside my mouth, this reaction was mostly felt in my scalp, face, and hands (though my whole body was somewhat itchy). So I guess the mystery is somewhat solved, but my reaction was still highly atypical.
After dinner was the Crew Talent Show, which promised to be a blast. I wanted to get there early to make sure I had good seats. When I arrived in the Union, I found the place virtually empty, though people had saved the best seats with sweatshirts. I am a firm believer that a person needs to be physically present to save a seat, so I just moved a shirt and took a seat.
A half hour a later, a student came back and berated me for taking “his” seat. He was a Chinese exchange student, and he had the nerve to accuse me of being racist and targeting him for being Chinese. When he said that, I actually laughed in his face. Once I got a hold of myself, I hit him with the following: “so you’re implying that I’m targeting you for being Chinese? How on earth could I know by your sweatshirt that you are a Chinese exchange student? That’s all I had to go by, you know, a sweatshirt. Because you weren’t here. So no, I’m not targeting you for being Chinese. On the contrary, I’m targeting you for being a self-righteous asshole who thinks he has the right to reserve one of the best seats in the house with an article of clothing while everyone else does it by physically sitting in a chair and waiting around. Because that’s what you do if you believe in fairness.” Game, set, match, buddy. He ended up sitting pretty close to me during the Talent Show, and he was stewing hardcore.
The Talent Show itself was awesome. There were some very impressive acts, but mostly they were the endearing variety. Our crew is just so cool, it was great to see them living up the spotlight.
Day 70 – At Sea; Africa Day
We were woken up at 8:15 for a muster drill. I don’t know why they didn’t warn us in advance. Or why they needed to do it so early in the morning. But that was all irrelevant, because I was now awake.
So I grabbed my iPod and made my way to my muster station. Very sadly, it was out of battery. This was the second time in the last few days that it was unexpectedly out of charge. Of course, it’s quite possible that I just left it on, but I fear that my beloved Nano has battery problems.
Anyhow, once the muster drill finished I had my staged reading. It went well. Then I locked myself in my room and worked on my journal. I was able to finish writing my reactions to Indian culture before lunch. The entire post was about 15 pages. I’m usually not such a long-winded writer, but I guess I’m just doing a bunch of cool shit and have a lot to say about it.
At lunch, there was a particularly delicious chicken dish, and I ate a lot of it. Belly full o’ chicken, I headed up to the top deck to hang out. I was planning on only spending fifteen minutes or so up there and then getting back to writing. My goal was to be up to Mauritius by the day’s end, which would mean editing the India post and writing about six days at sea. However, the sun was shining and pretty girls were in bikinis, and a group of them wanted me to play Taboo, one of my most favoritest games. So, obviously, I stayed up there far longer than I planned to.
I went straight from Taboo to spiritual dance, which was one of the best yet. The energy level was real high, as was my sweat level. But as we went into the cool-down section, I began scratching my head. And I couldn’t stop scratching. Then my face started feeling oddly uncomfortable. And my hands were itching. I went straight back to my room and looked into the mirror to see my face red and swollen. It was clear I was having some sort of allergic reaction. Which was inexplicable; I’m only allergic to peanuts and I’d eaten hours ago.
I took three Benadryl (one or two is recommended) and got a cold shower. But that did not stop the itching, so I called the doctor. They were befuddled, entirely clueless as to what set me off. Since I did not bring an Epipen, I was forced to buy one. For $84. And it expires this coming September. Thanks for ripping me off, SAS.
Anyway, after a while the Benadryl kicked in, and my face began to un-swell and the itching stopped. And of course, with the Benadryl kicking in to stop my allergies, it also began to stop my consciousness. It completely knocked me out.
I awoke in a daze shortly before dinner service ended, and headed up to fill my stomach. I felt too out of it to talk to anyone, so I sat by myself and watched the ocean. I was soon joined by my friend Amy, who is a real cute girl and a spiritual dance regular. She was kind enough to join me sitting by my lonesome, but I’m afraid I wasn’t great conversation. My head was still cloudy from the Benadryl.
So I went back to my room to work on my journal, but it was a slow process with a fuzzy head. I did edit half my India post, but reading through those 7 and a half pages took about an hour and a half.
At around 9:30 Tolan wanted to practice, so I went over to his room and we tested Epiphany to a small audience. They all really enjoyed it, which is always a nice confidence boost. The jokes lose their punch with so much practice, so it’s great to be reminded that the song is funny.
I closed out the night by watching In Treatment with Nick before bed. Goddamn that show’s addictive.
So I grabbed my iPod and made my way to my muster station. Very sadly, it was out of battery. This was the second time in the last few days that it was unexpectedly out of charge. Of course, it’s quite possible that I just left it on, but I fear that my beloved Nano has battery problems.
Anyhow, once the muster drill finished I had my staged reading. It went well. Then I locked myself in my room and worked on my journal. I was able to finish writing my reactions to Indian culture before lunch. The entire post was about 15 pages. I’m usually not such a long-winded writer, but I guess I’m just doing a bunch of cool shit and have a lot to say about it.
At lunch, there was a particularly delicious chicken dish, and I ate a lot of it. Belly full o’ chicken, I headed up to the top deck to hang out. I was planning on only spending fifteen minutes or so up there and then getting back to writing. My goal was to be up to Mauritius by the day’s end, which would mean editing the India post and writing about six days at sea. However, the sun was shining and pretty girls were in bikinis, and a group of them wanted me to play Taboo, one of my most favoritest games. So, obviously, I stayed up there far longer than I planned to.
I went straight from Taboo to spiritual dance, which was one of the best yet. The energy level was real high, as was my sweat level. But as we went into the cool-down section, I began scratching my head. And I couldn’t stop scratching. Then my face started feeling oddly uncomfortable. And my hands were itching. I went straight back to my room and looked into the mirror to see my face red and swollen. It was clear I was having some sort of allergic reaction. Which was inexplicable; I’m only allergic to peanuts and I’d eaten hours ago.
I took three Benadryl (one or two is recommended) and got a cold shower. But that did not stop the itching, so I called the doctor. They were befuddled, entirely clueless as to what set me off. Since I did not bring an Epipen, I was forced to buy one. For $84. And it expires this coming September. Thanks for ripping me off, SAS.
Anyway, after a while the Benadryl kicked in, and my face began to un-swell and the itching stopped. And of course, with the Benadryl kicking in to stop my allergies, it also began to stop my consciousness. It completely knocked me out.
I awoke in a daze shortly before dinner service ended, and headed up to fill my stomach. I felt too out of it to talk to anyone, so I sat by myself and watched the ocean. I was soon joined by my friend Amy, who is a real cute girl and a spiritual dance regular. She was kind enough to join me sitting by my lonesome, but I’m afraid I wasn’t great conversation. My head was still cloudy from the Benadryl.
So I went back to my room to work on my journal, but it was a slow process with a fuzzy head. I did edit half my India post, but reading through those 7 and a half pages took about an hour and a half.
At around 9:30 Tolan wanted to practice, so I went over to his room and we tested Epiphany to a small audience. They all really enjoyed it, which is always a nice confidence boost. The jokes lose their punch with so much practice, so it’s great to be reminded that the song is funny.
I closed out the night by watching In Treatment with Nick before bed. Goddamn that show’s addictive.
Day 69 – At Sea
I woke up early to get in a few hours work on my journal. I completed my rough draft of my Indian adventures, which came out to be a total 12 and a half pages, single spaced. I still had to write my reactions to Indian culture and edit the whole damn thing, but I was pleased with my progress.
My afternoon painting class was brutal. We were discussing our progress on our painting series, so the class mostly consisted of the entire class listening to our professor give our classmates personalized feedback. And today my work was not being evaluated, so I just sat there all period. That was unfortunate.
After painting, I rehearsed a staged reading for Africa day. I was going to read a scene from “My Children! My Africa!” by Athol Fugard, in which I would play the part of Thami, an angry young black student living under apartheid. It was a relatively simple scene for someone with tremendous acting prowess, such as myself, but I looked forward to performing the following day nonetheless.
I had a pretty lazy evening. I practiced with Tolan for a while, then went back to the ol’ room and watched some In Treatment with Nicholas. In Treatment is effin addicting. It is one of my reasons that I’m behind on my journal (sorry readers).
My afternoon painting class was brutal. We were discussing our progress on our painting series, so the class mostly consisted of the entire class listening to our professor give our classmates personalized feedback. And today my work was not being evaluated, so I just sat there all period. That was unfortunate.
After painting, I rehearsed a staged reading for Africa day. I was going to read a scene from “My Children! My Africa!” by Athol Fugard, in which I would play the part of Thami, an angry young black student living under apartheid. It was a relatively simple scene for someone with tremendous acting prowess, such as myself, but I looked forward to performing the following day nonetheless.
I had a pretty lazy evening. I practiced with Tolan for a while, then went back to the ol’ room and watched some In Treatment with Nicholas. In Treatment is effin addicting. It is one of my reasons that I’m behind on my journal (sorry readers).
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Day 68 – At Sea
My day got started at my SeaTV production meeting, where we had a hilarious idea for a segment featuring the kids on the ship. It would start with story time, where the adult lumberjacks would listen to a story about the destruction of nature. Thus, we’d become in tune with our inner children, and the scene would cut to kids on the ship, dressed in our clothes, listening to the story. Then they’d go about the ship calling people out for unsustainable activities. Should be cute.
In drawing, we had an incredibly hard still-life scene to depict. In the middle was a box, which was covered by a sheet. The background had another box and a pyramid. It was so damn hard to capture the shading of the sheet. I wish we had as much freedom in drawing class as we are given in painting.
Gamelan was, as usual, a struggle. The class is just so repetitive, and we simply do not sound good. I was relieved when class finally ended.
After dinner, Tolan and I finished Epiphany. All that was left was practice, as we each stumbled over a few parts of our lyrics. Because we finished our song, we went out looking for Derek, hoping to write a comedy song with him. Unfortunately, Derek was shooting a SeaTV segment, so we just decided to call it a night.
In drawing, we had an incredibly hard still-life scene to depict. In the middle was a box, which was covered by a sheet. The background had another box and a pyramid. It was so damn hard to capture the shading of the sheet. I wish we had as much freedom in drawing class as we are given in painting.
Gamelan was, as usual, a struggle. The class is just so repetitive, and we simply do not sound good. I was relieved when class finally ended.
After dinner, Tolan and I finished Epiphany. All that was left was practice, as we each stumbled over a few parts of our lyrics. Because we finished our song, we went out looking for Derek, hoping to write a comedy song with him. Unfortunately, Derek was shooting a SeaTV segment, so we just decided to call it a night.
Day 67 – At Sea
I slept nearly 13 hours, which was just what the doctor ordered. I woke up feeling great.
In freeing the human voice, we began working on this singing exercise. It was great fun; we sang in a round and then moved about the room singing. It sounded great. The funniest part of the class, though, had to be the backhanded compliment I got from a classmate. It came while I was singing in my lower register, which sounds significantly better than the higher part of my range. I was harmonizing with the girl next to me when she looked over and said, “Wow! You have a really pretty bass! And I would have never known because your voice doesn’t sound good at the coffee houses.” Well thanks, I guess.
Between classes I worked on my journal, which takes up so much of my time at sea. I suppose I like writing about my time in port, but writing about sea days has become tedious. But I’m in so deep it would be a cop out to stop now. And I’m hoping that when I’m older, I’ll be glad I took the time now. Because I truly am loving my time at sea.
Painting was pretty sweet. I’m loving the expressionist color studies, though, in my mind, it just proves that expressionism takes no skill. Because I have none. But I think my expressionist paintings look reasonably cool.
After dinner I went to spiritual dance. It was great as always. It’s also the only exercise I get anymore while I’m on the boat. Between classes, journaling, music writing, SeaTV, and hanging out, I just don’t have the time to make it to the gym. Luckily, I get exercise while in port, and spiritual dance is great cardio.
After a shower I practiced with Tolan for about an hour or so. We were still shaping and tweaking Epiphany. I felt a bit nervous about performing this song, because it’s really edgy and makes fun of a lot of people. But I believe in the South Park system: if you make fun of everyone, you’ll get away with it.
In freeing the human voice, we began working on this singing exercise. It was great fun; we sang in a round and then moved about the room singing. It sounded great. The funniest part of the class, though, had to be the backhanded compliment I got from a classmate. It came while I was singing in my lower register, which sounds significantly better than the higher part of my range. I was harmonizing with the girl next to me when she looked over and said, “Wow! You have a really pretty bass! And I would have never known because your voice doesn’t sound good at the coffee houses.” Well thanks, I guess.
Between classes I worked on my journal, which takes up so much of my time at sea. I suppose I like writing about my time in port, but writing about sea days has become tedious. But I’m in so deep it would be a cop out to stop now. And I’m hoping that when I’m older, I’ll be glad I took the time now. Because I truly am loving my time at sea.
Painting was pretty sweet. I’m loving the expressionist color studies, though, in my mind, it just proves that expressionism takes no skill. Because I have none. But I think my expressionist paintings look reasonably cool.
After dinner I went to spiritual dance. It was great as always. It’s also the only exercise I get anymore while I’m on the boat. Between classes, journaling, music writing, SeaTV, and hanging out, I just don’t have the time to make it to the gym. Luckily, I get exercise while in port, and spiritual dance is great cardio.
After a shower I practiced with Tolan for about an hour or so. We were still shaping and tweaking Epiphany. I felt a bit nervous about performing this song, because it’s really edgy and makes fun of a lot of people. But I believe in the South Park system: if you make fun of everyone, you’ll get away with it.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Days 65 and 66 – Mauritius
Day 1
After arriving in Port Louis, I went exploring with Kelsey, Mel, and Emmy. Nick and I were staying at a villa with a large group of people, and these three are probably our closest friends in that group.
We began by walking into town and getting the local currency. We were mostly without a plan, as we checked into our villa that afternoon. So we just walked around the Port for a while, moseying through the markets and local shops. Around 11:30, we wondered if we ought to continue seeing the sights or just stop for lunch. The map listed a mosque nearby, and we thought it might be worthwhile to check that out before going to lunch. It wasn’t. The mosque was quite ordinary.
So we walked around looking for restaurants and eventually came upon a dim sum place. Turned out to be a great choice. We stuffed ourselves on about $5. But before we left, I had to get some street food. I saw vendors selling chicken schwarma sandwiches which were simply mouthwatering. I had to get one. And it was delicious.
Then we took a cab to Gran Baie, which was home to one of the prettiest beaches I have ever laid eyes upon. The water was sparkling light blue. We went to a nearby supermarket and each got a Phoenix, the local beer, and sipped it on the beach just watching the waves. I knew I was in for a relaxing couple of days.
Around 3:00, we decided to head to our villa. It was only five minutes or so from the downtown Gran Baie area, so we all expected to be returning later that evening. Our villa was amazing, especially considering the price, only $40 each per night. Each villa was equipped with a big fridge, couches, a flat screen TV, two bedrooms with huge beds, kitchen ware, silverware, towels, bedding, etc. Basically they were all fully furnished. And the complex was right on the beach, with barbeques and an endless pool.
So for the rest of the afternoon I mingled with the group, many of whom I hadn’t met. They were all pretty cool, I suppose, but they were an already tight-knit group, so I felt like a bit of an outsider. But the pool was the perfect temperature, and the beach ridiculously picturesque. So I had no reason to complain, really.
For dinner, we had a massive bbq with hotdogs, chicken, and, of course, Phoenix beer. I really, really enjoyed Phoenix. I’m not beer savvy enough to explain why, but it just tasted good. I wish it was available in the States.
So as we were hanging in the villa, a few of the residents came down to talk to us. Most of them were wealthy South Africans staying in their vacation homes. I spoke to one guy who served in the Army during Apartheid. As you know, dear readers, I am super learned and have read the great Nelson Mandela’s autobiography. So to speak to someone who lived under the history I read about was simply fascinating (and I love the South African accent. I’ve become decent at it).
Anyway, I was just glued to what this guy was saying. I must have talked with him for nearly two hours. And while he assured me that a lot of good has come from the change in government, there are unfortunately a lot of problems. There needs to be a greater redistribution of wealth, and there is a lot of violence, particularly in the rural areas.
By about 11:30 or so, I really lost my ambition to go out to the bars. The drinks were still flowing in the villa, and I saw no reason to vacate our beautiful villa and endless pool. And the girls were talking about wanting to go skinny dipping. Which, in all honesty, was the real reason I didn’t want to leave.
Skinny dipping was loads of fun. I had thought it would be a guaranteed hookup, but I ended up empty handed. I didn’t mind, though. I had a great time. Swimming naked in just super freeing. The second I dumped my suit I was just thought “great decision, Maxwell.”
But after a while I was tired, so I headed for bed. A girl whose name I can no longer remember was going to bed at the same time, and asked if I wanted to cuddle. I wasn’t really interested in her, but I couldn’t really say no. That would be rude. But when I got into bed I just rolled over and went to sleep. Problem solved.
Day 2
I woke up a little before 8:00 and went outside. It was bright out, so I went to grab my sunglasses. They were nowhere to be found. I started freaking out, because I absolutely love my shades. They once belonged to my dad in the 80s, and are thus the definition of retro. I would be crushed if they were lost.
Because I couldn’t find them, I’m sorry to say that my morning was spoiled. I tried to just hang out and forget the fact that I’d lost the coolest shades of all time, hoping they would turn up when we all packed. But it was really bright outside, so I was constantly squinting. A harsh reminder that my beloved shades were gone.
But fortunately for my spirits, we were going tubing later that morning. And I love tubing. With the boat scheduled to come in about an hour, our friends came back with a case of Phoenix. 9:00 in the morning seemed a bit early to start drinking, but I suppose it was 5:00 somewhere. And I figured it would make the tubing ride would be a lot more fun. So I obliged to the groupthink and had a few beers.
And I’m glad I did. Because tubing was awesome. Now I am used to tubing rides where I lay on my stomach, but in this case I sat with my butt in the middle of an inner tube. And I was not the only one being pulled behind the boat. Nick also sat in his own separate inner tube, and a group of three girls were being pulled in a three-person tube (they also all sat on their butts). It was a real fun ride with so many people back there because we all kept slamming into each other. And since I was in one of the individual tubes, I was prone to just going flying. Which was awesome. My lone complaint is that a lot skill is involved when you lay on your stomach, but sitting on your butt you’re just along for the ride; you’ve got almost zero control over your fate.
Right after tubing, though, was the best part of the day. Because when I got back to the villa I was handed back my sunglasses. Someone must have grabbed them off the counter and run off with them the previous night, because the glasses were found in the lone upstairs villa we rented. And I never went up there. But all’s well that ends well, because my super sweet shades were back in my possession.
Anyway, Nick and I were getting tired of the same ol’ scenery, so we decided to go back to the Gran Baie downtown area. So we packed our things and said our goodbyes. Unfortunately, I later realized that I left my swimsuit drying on the shower door. And no one brought it back. Damn. Thankfully, though, I brought two suits on the trip. So I’ll be aiight.
Back in Gran Baie, Nick and I decided to get some street food near the beach. I got two varieties of fresh-made roti bread: the meal variety with savory sauces and the desert variety with sugar. My god were they good. The savory one had a delicious India flavor, and the sweet one had the delicious, simple taste of Cane sugar.
With our bellies full of food, Nick and I sat down on the beach, just soaking up the beautiful view. I am a firm believer that living by the ocean does wonders for one’s psyche. It is so damn peaceful and relaxing to stare at the endless ocean.
Eventually, though, we decided to head back to Port Louis. We took the bus instead of a cab, because the ride was only 10 rupees. On the bus back we ran into Jake and Arthur, who had spent the day at a casino. So we spent the ride back chatting together, and I noted that we kept the streak alive: Jake, Nick and I had now, still, traveled together in every port.
Back in Port Louis, Nick and I exchanged our extra rupees for dolla dolla bills ya’ll, but left some funds to purchase food. Unfortunately, since we were with Jake and Arthur, food meant KFC. Because Jake and Arthur might just be the least adventurous eaters on the entire trip. When we walked into the KFC, Jake and Arthur both exclaimed “YES!!”
So after filling up on some fried chicken, we returned to the boat. I didn’t get much sleep our lone night in port, so despite only a two day, one night visit to Mauritius, I was exhausted. After showering up, Nick and I watched a couple episodes of In Treatment before going to sleep at 8:30.
Reaction to Mauritian Culture
I don’t have too much cultural commentary to make about Mauritius, mainly because I didn’t explore and observe the island as I had in other ports. I, like most students, viewed Mauritius as our Spring Break. But that said, I have a bit to say about the Mauritian lifestyle.
Mauritius was similar to Hawaii in the fact that they both clearly are “island cultures,” meaning life is slower and more relaxed. I’m not sure how I would feel living there. On the one hand, it would be nice for life to be so low-stress. But, by the same token, I feel like I would be easily bored.
The two longest conversations I had with locals illustrated this point nicely. The first guy I talked to, who introduced himself as “JJ Double-O,” absolutely loved living on the island. I talked with him when I first got to Gran Baie, while I was still traveling with just Kelsey, Mel, and Emmy. He worked five days a week taking tourists out on a catamaran. His work came with unlimited eats and drinks, and all he did was hang out on the ocean. I said it sounded like he didn’t have too much stress. “No stress,” he replied. “And I’ve got all that I need. Life is good.”
But on the second day, I met a couple ambitious young guys who couldn’t wait to get off the island. They were trying to raise money to move elsewhere, but they found it difficult to start a successful business on the island. “Life is slow here,” they complained. “It’s really hard to make any money and do something with your life.”
After arriving in Port Louis, I went exploring with Kelsey, Mel, and Emmy. Nick and I were staying at a villa with a large group of people, and these three are probably our closest friends in that group.
We began by walking into town and getting the local currency. We were mostly without a plan, as we checked into our villa that afternoon. So we just walked around the Port for a while, moseying through the markets and local shops. Around 11:30, we wondered if we ought to continue seeing the sights or just stop for lunch. The map listed a mosque nearby, and we thought it might be worthwhile to check that out before going to lunch. It wasn’t. The mosque was quite ordinary.
So we walked around looking for restaurants and eventually came upon a dim sum place. Turned out to be a great choice. We stuffed ourselves on about $5. But before we left, I had to get some street food. I saw vendors selling chicken schwarma sandwiches which were simply mouthwatering. I had to get one. And it was delicious.
Then we took a cab to Gran Baie, which was home to one of the prettiest beaches I have ever laid eyes upon. The water was sparkling light blue. We went to a nearby supermarket and each got a Phoenix, the local beer, and sipped it on the beach just watching the waves. I knew I was in for a relaxing couple of days.
Around 3:00, we decided to head to our villa. It was only five minutes or so from the downtown Gran Baie area, so we all expected to be returning later that evening. Our villa was amazing, especially considering the price, only $40 each per night. Each villa was equipped with a big fridge, couches, a flat screen TV, two bedrooms with huge beds, kitchen ware, silverware, towels, bedding, etc. Basically they were all fully furnished. And the complex was right on the beach, with barbeques and an endless pool.
So for the rest of the afternoon I mingled with the group, many of whom I hadn’t met. They were all pretty cool, I suppose, but they were an already tight-knit group, so I felt like a bit of an outsider. But the pool was the perfect temperature, and the beach ridiculously picturesque. So I had no reason to complain, really.
For dinner, we had a massive bbq with hotdogs, chicken, and, of course, Phoenix beer. I really, really enjoyed Phoenix. I’m not beer savvy enough to explain why, but it just tasted good. I wish it was available in the States.
So as we were hanging in the villa, a few of the residents came down to talk to us. Most of them were wealthy South Africans staying in their vacation homes. I spoke to one guy who served in the Army during Apartheid. As you know, dear readers, I am super learned and have read the great Nelson Mandela’s autobiography. So to speak to someone who lived under the history I read about was simply fascinating (and I love the South African accent. I’ve become decent at it).
Anyway, I was just glued to what this guy was saying. I must have talked with him for nearly two hours. And while he assured me that a lot of good has come from the change in government, there are unfortunately a lot of problems. There needs to be a greater redistribution of wealth, and there is a lot of violence, particularly in the rural areas.
By about 11:30 or so, I really lost my ambition to go out to the bars. The drinks were still flowing in the villa, and I saw no reason to vacate our beautiful villa and endless pool. And the girls were talking about wanting to go skinny dipping. Which, in all honesty, was the real reason I didn’t want to leave.
Skinny dipping was loads of fun. I had thought it would be a guaranteed hookup, but I ended up empty handed. I didn’t mind, though. I had a great time. Swimming naked in just super freeing. The second I dumped my suit I was just thought “great decision, Maxwell.”
But after a while I was tired, so I headed for bed. A girl whose name I can no longer remember was going to bed at the same time, and asked if I wanted to cuddle. I wasn’t really interested in her, but I couldn’t really say no. That would be rude. But when I got into bed I just rolled over and went to sleep. Problem solved.
Day 2
I woke up a little before 8:00 and went outside. It was bright out, so I went to grab my sunglasses. They were nowhere to be found. I started freaking out, because I absolutely love my shades. They once belonged to my dad in the 80s, and are thus the definition of retro. I would be crushed if they were lost.
Because I couldn’t find them, I’m sorry to say that my morning was spoiled. I tried to just hang out and forget the fact that I’d lost the coolest shades of all time, hoping they would turn up when we all packed. But it was really bright outside, so I was constantly squinting. A harsh reminder that my beloved shades were gone.
But fortunately for my spirits, we were going tubing later that morning. And I love tubing. With the boat scheduled to come in about an hour, our friends came back with a case of Phoenix. 9:00 in the morning seemed a bit early to start drinking, but I suppose it was 5:00 somewhere. And I figured it would make the tubing ride would be a lot more fun. So I obliged to the groupthink and had a few beers.
And I’m glad I did. Because tubing was awesome. Now I am used to tubing rides where I lay on my stomach, but in this case I sat with my butt in the middle of an inner tube. And I was not the only one being pulled behind the boat. Nick also sat in his own separate inner tube, and a group of three girls were being pulled in a three-person tube (they also all sat on their butts). It was a real fun ride with so many people back there because we all kept slamming into each other. And since I was in one of the individual tubes, I was prone to just going flying. Which was awesome. My lone complaint is that a lot skill is involved when you lay on your stomach, but sitting on your butt you’re just along for the ride; you’ve got almost zero control over your fate.
Right after tubing, though, was the best part of the day. Because when I got back to the villa I was handed back my sunglasses. Someone must have grabbed them off the counter and run off with them the previous night, because the glasses were found in the lone upstairs villa we rented. And I never went up there. But all’s well that ends well, because my super sweet shades were back in my possession.
Anyway, Nick and I were getting tired of the same ol’ scenery, so we decided to go back to the Gran Baie downtown area. So we packed our things and said our goodbyes. Unfortunately, I later realized that I left my swimsuit drying on the shower door. And no one brought it back. Damn. Thankfully, though, I brought two suits on the trip. So I’ll be aiight.
Back in Gran Baie, Nick and I decided to get some street food near the beach. I got two varieties of fresh-made roti bread: the meal variety with savory sauces and the desert variety with sugar. My god were they good. The savory one had a delicious India flavor, and the sweet one had the delicious, simple taste of Cane sugar.
With our bellies full of food, Nick and I sat down on the beach, just soaking up the beautiful view. I am a firm believer that living by the ocean does wonders for one’s psyche. It is so damn peaceful and relaxing to stare at the endless ocean.
Eventually, though, we decided to head back to Port Louis. We took the bus instead of a cab, because the ride was only 10 rupees. On the bus back we ran into Jake and Arthur, who had spent the day at a casino. So we spent the ride back chatting together, and I noted that we kept the streak alive: Jake, Nick and I had now, still, traveled together in every port.
Back in Port Louis, Nick and I exchanged our extra rupees for dolla dolla bills ya’ll, but left some funds to purchase food. Unfortunately, since we were with Jake and Arthur, food meant KFC. Because Jake and Arthur might just be the least adventurous eaters on the entire trip. When we walked into the KFC, Jake and Arthur both exclaimed “YES!!”
So after filling up on some fried chicken, we returned to the boat. I didn’t get much sleep our lone night in port, so despite only a two day, one night visit to Mauritius, I was exhausted. After showering up, Nick and I watched a couple episodes of In Treatment before going to sleep at 8:30.
Reaction to Mauritian Culture
I don’t have too much cultural commentary to make about Mauritius, mainly because I didn’t explore and observe the island as I had in other ports. I, like most students, viewed Mauritius as our Spring Break. But that said, I have a bit to say about the Mauritian lifestyle.
Mauritius was similar to Hawaii in the fact that they both clearly are “island cultures,” meaning life is slower and more relaxed. I’m not sure how I would feel living there. On the one hand, it would be nice for life to be so low-stress. But, by the same token, I feel like I would be easily bored.
The two longest conversations I had with locals illustrated this point nicely. The first guy I talked to, who introduced himself as “JJ Double-O,” absolutely loved living on the island. I talked with him when I first got to Gran Baie, while I was still traveling with just Kelsey, Mel, and Emmy. He worked five days a week taking tourists out on a catamaran. His work came with unlimited eats and drinks, and all he did was hang out on the ocean. I said it sounded like he didn’t have too much stress. “No stress,” he replied. “And I’ve got all that I need. Life is good.”
But on the second day, I met a couple ambitious young guys who couldn’t wait to get off the island. They were trying to raise money to move elsewhere, but they found it difficult to start a successful business on the island. “Life is slow here,” they complained. “It’s really hard to make any money and do something with your life.”
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