Rare Vertebrate: So this is Cape Town

13FEB2011 ~4:30PM

It's been 3 days since I've really had any time to write, or even be more or less by myself. As expected. I'll recap my days in CT in a sec, but first I must say that I've just been to the most awesome beach, ever (that I've been to). Nags Head, NC is super fun; Tulum, Mexico is beautiful and chilled; but Big Bay Beach in Bluumberg township (sp?) was the most unique beach I've seen. There was a sand bar of sorts that went perpendicular from the beach, and connects to a rocky little isle that was fun to scramble over and chill upon. But by far the most spectacular feature was the view of downtown CT from the beach (right over top of the little isle), with the ever-present Table Mountain and adjoining peaks looming over all of it. It's certainly exotic, and almost alien, the juxtaposition of the beach, ocean, isle, assymetrical mountain. The spread of the city below the table and accross the bay does well to tie the vista back to the earthly imagination, while only adding a modern touch to the whole spectacle.

So let's backtrack from right now. I'm in a car headed back to the southern suburbs of CT, which are just around the left side of the mountain range that sits behind the city proper. I'm passing a lot of commercial zones, highway junctions, and golf courses (note to self...). I'm with Saranne, her friend Bee (Dutch), and Bee's dogs Josie, Quincy, and Pablo--all endearing in their mangy-mutt ways. We met 4 other girls at the beach--Maria, Liz, Pooti, and Judy (with her baby, Kyla). Together we walked on the beach, played with the dogs, swam and body surfed (the water was, um, refreshing) and just sat.

It's actually felt like summer all day. Of course, it IS summer here, but I guess I mean it had a summer feeling since getting ready this morning. The dry, hot sun, the alternating warm winds and cooler breezes, the rented beach-house feel of the place I'm staying, along with the endless summer frame of mind that I've got (had) going on, all made for a relaxed, but somehow melancholic mood as I prepared for the day. The wide-openess coupled with a certain sort of loneliness made me feel like I was inside the wisp of a childhood summer memory. I suppose I'm a bit predisposed to feeling wary about the "summer M.O." without having some sort of exit strategy for it. At it's heart, it contains a bit of danger, like it's something to spiral down into. I guess there are worse ways to lose one's sense of time and place; I actually hope to explore them on future legs of the trip--so it's another feeling to which I'll need to accustom myself.

Last night there had been plans to go out dancing, but most of those involved were "fading" and then just were "chilled." So after ostrich steak with Mandla (the roommate) and her boyfriend Rompedi (sp?), we shared some mojitos with a few guys that live a floor up. Limes are a bit scarce around here, so I had to make them with lemon juice. Not quite the same, but ever-functional. I was a still bit tired, too, from the travels, and also from the shopping earlier that day. Saranne took me to a mall where I got a cheap phone (~150Rand) and some clothes at a Marshall's type store called Pic N Pay--board shorts, pants, shirts, and a cap for about 300R (~$50). Not too shabby!

Shopping happened only after I slept until about 11:30 Saturday morning. I certainly was ready to crash Friday night, but not until we had visited Saranne's 4th year college cousin Jonothan, and hung out with his friends. They lived near the UCT campus, and except for the accents and talk of exotic sports, I could have been in any 6-person college pad. We smoked "hubbly" (definitely wrong spelling--but a hooka) and had some hot food from the Pic N Pay. By the by, I may have started a minor revolution by weighing and pricing my own veggies in the produce section.

Friday evening began after meeting Saranne downtown at Idasa, the NGO where she works, about 5 blocks from the train/bus station. We spent time together and alone in the downtown mall area, called St. George's Mall. I got to use the internet, do a little shopping, and walk around a vibrant little section of town before we both sat down for a snack.

Tomorrow (Monday) I'll have the middle of the day completely to myself--I am eager to explore, research, and meet others under my own auspices. I expect that CT orientation will start to segue into thorough CT adventuring...I can't wait.