i wanna tear down that mountain.

On our last day in South Africa, I had planned to climb Table Mountain with Aleeza, Nick, and Rachel, then repel down it.  However, due to intense winds on top of the mountain, the cable car was closed (and obviously repelling would not be a viable option!).  Not to mention, I woke up later than I expected to and Aleeza and Rachel had already left.  So what to do.  Cling onto other friends’ plans? Yep!

Nick and I met up with Max, Danny, EJ, and Gabe to go to Stevenstown to see penguins then to another township.  However, we decided that a group of six people in the township would be a bad idea, so Nick and I offered to break off from the group in Stevenstown and find our way back by ourselves.

Ran to catch the train to Stevenstown.  The train itself was really nice – a lot like the train from Alleppey to Ernaukulum.  Nick and I stuck our heads out the window and stared at the countryside…the coast was unbelievably beautiful.  Little colorful houses, mountains looming (EJ and I joked about how the mountains were ruining the beach scene), little pools cut into the Oceanside.  Got off the train in a beachy little town and boarded a bus bound for Stevenstown.

Walked to Boulder Beach, where the only penguins in South Africa can be found.  Saw some penguins, pretty much.  There was a boardwalk cut into the area and we took pictures and videos and some of us touched the penguins before they could turn around and bite us.  We’re assholes.  Then we walked somewhere else and changed into swimsuits to swim with the penguins.  Kids everywhere and smatterings of penguins every so often.  Just breathtaking.

After swimming the four boys bailed and Nick and I had a delicious lunch at a nearby seafood restaurant – got lobster bisque and a seafood salad while watching waves crash below us.  Happy Easter.  Our waitress was named Prettie and she had a high forehead and quizzical smile.

Couldn’t get a cab to the station until the very end so we had no free time to hang on the beach.  Needed to get back for on-ship time.  We ran into a SASer named Grant whose dad also went on the voyage – in 1973, Mom.  Someone he met gave him a free bottle of wine so we made plans to drink it before getting on the ship.  I am a college student after all.

Got back to the V&A Waterfront and Nick bought a corkscrew and we drank the wine out of my water bottle so we wouldn’t get in trouble.  It was delicious.  White wine.  Ran into Colette and she bought a second bottle and we drank that too.  Cold, but not as good.  Tipsy, we wandered back to the ship.


Tomorrow is Ghana.  My plans are no plans.  Cape Coast the first day and then after that…winging it.  I think this might be the best port yet.