Hiking to Kirstenbosch

On Saturday, July 17 we went hiking in the mountains again. Although this time the route was not quite so steep and we hiked around the mountain instead of down it. We hiked through the forest surrounding a peak near Table Mountain called Lion’s Head (named thus because it’s kind of shaped like a lion’s head). The route we took is called the Contour Path and begins about halfway up the mountain, just above UCT. The first half hour or so of the hike was fairly steep and we were all huffing and puffing as we made our way up. Eventually the trail leveled out and stayed that way for the rest of the hike, which was about three hours total.

This hike made me really appreciate just how diverse the plant life is in the cape area. Apparently the Cape region of South Africa has its own floral kingdom and there is more plant and animal life in this tiny region than in the entire United Kingdom (so I hear). As we hiked around the mountain I felt like I was walking from one part of the world to another. For a while we’d be among tall deciduous trees that looked similar to those we’d find in the northern U.S. Then half an hour later we’d be among vines and tropical looking trees. We hiked over all sorts of rocks and across so many little mountain streams that I lost count of them. About half of these stream crossings were at the base of waterfalls as well. The largest waterfall was the first one we came to and most of the group and I climbed right up next to this waterfall to take pictures. It was incredibly beautiful. I had very wet shoes and socks by the end of that hike from how many times I accidentally stepped in the water while trying to cross these streams, but the adventure was worth it. This mountain definitely had some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.

The trail eventually led down to the Kirstenbosch Gardens, one of the most famous botanical gardens in the world. We had lunch at a little café next to the garden and then explored for a while. Unfortunately, since it’s winter here the garden wasn’t quite as nice as it would be at other times of the year. Only a few flowers were in bloom and the whole place was very damp from rain earlier in the week. However, there are also lots of interesting sculptures and other structures dotted throughout the garden which we had fun looking at. As you might imagine from a group of 23 American college students, we tend to be very loud and boisterous when we’re all together. I can only imagine what everyone else at Kirstenbosch thought of us making noise and taking all sorts of crazy pictures, probably disturbing the peacefulness of the garden. Oh well. I suppose it can’t be helped. This was also the first time our group had seen each other since we had gone to live with host families. We all had lots of stories to share with each other about our new lives with host families and school placements. This tends to be all we talk about when we get together these days.

The next day (Sunday, July 18), I spent with my host family. Sunet, Rika, and another friend took me to church and then out to lunch in Cape Town at a place called Beluga that has half-price sushi on Sundays. It was a very relaxing day after the rigorous hike of the day before.

The Epic Journey of Table Mountain

All last week (Monday, July 5 through Friday, July 9), we spent in seminars at the University of Cape Town (UCT). However, on Thursday we got a day off from class and went to the top of Table Mountain. The mountain gets its name because it’s nearly flat on top (like a table as you might guess.) It’s about 3,255 feet high and is believed to be one of the oldest mountains in the world, formed under the ocean 600 million years ago. To get to the top we took the Table Mountain Cableway, a huge cable car system that can carry 65 people in each car from halfway up the mountain to the top. The floor of the cable car rotates so everyone inside can get a full 360° view of the trip up.

Cable Car

At the top we had an hour or so to explore the top of the mountain and take pictures. The views of the city and the ocean were amazing from here. My friend Danielle and I walked all over the top of the mountain, stepping from rock to rock, until we reached the edge on the other side. It was a little scary but very exciting to look over the edge and realize just how high up we were. After this we had lunch in a little café on top of the mountain and then got ready for the real adventure – hiking down. Table Mountain has several hiking trails leading up and down the mountain and we took the route through the Platteklip Gorge, which winds around the side of the mountain. This is the most well known route, and I’m guessing the safest as well. My friend Sammi commented that the terrain reminded her of the journey to Mordor in The Lord of the Rings, which I thought was pretty funny. It certainly did have that feel, with the rocky pathways and the scrub vegetation. Lots of people climb up the mountain using this path as well. After our trip down I really have to admire these people for climbing up. It’s a steep path and it takes a long time to travel the distance between the ground and the top. It would definitely take some serious strength and stamina. The hardest part about going down is trying to keep your balance and not trip on the rocks. I discovered it took more leg strength than I thought to stay steady while walking down. However, throughout the hike the view was beautiful and I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment at the prospect of hiking down a mountain.

For the first half of the hike everyone was in good spirits, laughing and joking as we walked, stopping to take pictures all the time, and even rousing a cheer of “Go Green! Go White!” every once in a while. We also passed a lot of other hikers, mostly tourists visiting South Africa for the World Cup. We met people from all over the world, including a few others from the U.S. As we got farther down the mountain and especially as we came out of the mountain’s shadow into the sun, the fatigue set in and the hike became much more tiring. My legs really started to hurt after a while from trying to hold my balance on the steep downward slopes. At one point I lost my balance, pitched forward, and took a spill a few feet down the slope. I landed on chest and my left knee slammed into the ground pretty hard. I was a little shaken, but thankfully I only bruised and scraped my knee.

After about two hours we finally got to the bottom and I couldn’t have been happier to be on flat ground again. Despite sore legs (I felt like I had just gone through a day of winterguard camp again.) we all felt very tough and strong for making it all the way down. After everyone reached the bottom we were all very happy to stop for a cocktail. (Haha.) Back at the guest house that night, the owners held a traditional South African barbecue, known as a braai. They cooked a type of fish called snook over a wood fire. It was very delicious. Definitely a great end to the day.

Braai pits

Three weeks and counting...

As most of you know, I will be studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa for 6 weeks this summer. I created this blog to document this trip and keep family and friends updated on my experiences. I will be leaving on Tuesday, June 29, 2010 and will return to Michigan on Friday, August 13, 2010. (Friday the 13th! Oh dear.)

The program that I’m part of is called Cross-Cultural Teaching Abroad- South Africa. The 6-week program involves seminars at the University of Cape Town (UCT), 4 weeks of student teaching in a South African school, sightseeing, and cultural exploration. On top of all of this I get to earn six graduate credits. Not bad for a month and a half. J Especially exciting, we’ll be there during the end of the World Cup! The quarterfinals and semifinals are being played in Cape Town. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get tickets. (Fine with me. I’d rather not deal with the the crowds and the chaos.) But we will visit the fan park outside the stadium and make time to watch the final match on TV.

For the first two weeks we’ll be staying at a guest house in Cape Town called Deo Gratia. Then we’ll spend a little less than four weeks living with the families of the teachers we’ll be working with. My host and mentor is a 3rd grade teacher who has been teaching in South Africa for two years. Prior to that she taught in the U.K. for two years. She has only been teaching for a few years and I think it will be interesting to work with another young teacher like me and be able to learn about the experience of new teachers outside the U.S.

Only 19 days left until we leave! The whole trip still feels a little surreal right now. I don’t think it’ll quite hit me until I’m sitting on the plane heading halfway around the world. This is probably the most adventurous thing I’ve done in my life. (And I’ve had plenty of adventures.)

To learn more about everything South Africa, check out this site. It’s very comprehensive with information about geography, culture, government, current events, you name it.

Also check out my itinerary page to find out what we’re doing each day on the trip.