Week 15, South Africa: Cape Town still and a hint of Italy
I started the week with a visit to the internet cafe a few blocks away. Internet is always a problem for me. It's never fast enough and too many people using it forces so many frustrating timeouts and first world problems that I'm going to add a whole section to the Stats page (needs a new name) for such moments. Regardless I needed to skype without looking like a blur. I spent a good seven hours there in total getting caught up on everything from Rick Steve's Blog to my trip budget and expenses and chatting with my mom. I am very grateful for the guy who works 12 hour shifts there and that I could get a can of coke for 11 ZAR. Both were very helpful. But I don't want you all to think I spent a whole day there. I did use the daylight hours to do some fun stuff (breaking up my internet addiction). I visited Company's Gardens which was where the Dutch actually grew their food during the early trade years. Now it's a very sought after place for the local businesses and government workers to take a break on a bench and enjoy lunch (like a mini central park). Then I wandered to a great restaurant and celebrated mother's day with delicious food, amazing decor and everyone else's mothers :). Maybe the best burger of my life so far: 200g Wagyu beef burger, camembert, truffled wild mushrooms, rocket, pickled red onion and horseradish crème fraiche…
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| Company's Gardens |
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| The garden is on the left under the trellises and ahead is the Centre for the Book (library) |
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| The Kloof Street House--yes there are suitcases under the bar, all the moms are behind me...singles eat at the bar. |
But the business of the day was figuring out what to do about a package mailed to me in Cape Town that had not yet arrived. I was slated to leave on Tuesday and there was no sign of the package coming. So I spent an hour Monday trying to reach the post office by phone via skype. Why skype?
- If I were in the US I could call South Africa (for about $1.99 a minute) but since I'm in South Africa using my Verizon phone with a global coverage plan, and Verizon's agreement with South Africa says no Verizon phone can be used to make local South African calls, I was SOL.
- I couldn't use Google Voice since I didn't have a Google number and can't get one outside the US (most calls get blocked when they don't appear to have an originating number).
- So I bought one through Skype for $12 which will last a few months.
Very stupid and frustrating things I'm sure will come up again and are worthy of an appearance on the first world problems list or better yet, the list of things that just don't make sense internationally (everyone agrees we should all have the same power outlet).
The post office here is fairly notorious which I hadn't noticed till I started looking for ways to get my package. They don't answer the phone on any of the published contact lines (I tried for an hour). They have email addresses that never acknowledge a complaint, etc. But I said forget it and walked a few blocks to see if an actual person at an office could help me. Turns out my package (filled with clothes that fit me and my old backpack) was in Cape Town but they weren't sure if it would be cleared by customs (a second time) by Tuesday or Wednesday. I was desperate and angry so I changed all my flights to leave Friday. I went and ordered a pepperoni pizza, drank some famed Pinotage wine and had a piece of chocolate cake (eating your feelings can help or at least give you another focus--remembering one crazy weekend with Katherine Bolton where I am not sure how we ate all that...might have been restaurant week after a very bad week at work).
The package finally came in on Wednesday (not to the address but to the post office with no notification at the address) which I found out just by checking in at the same office daily. They then charged me another crazy fee for customs. I said whatever I'm getting my stuff! I got over this second bout of anger by wearing old clothing three sizes smaller than what I was when I left. I now had jeans and a hoodie! Craziness and so comforting. Thanks to my mother for going through my closet with me via skype and sending me what I "needed." But please don't judge here, yes when all was said and done in changing the flights, paying customs, mailing the package, it would have been cheaper slightly to buy everything here, but there was no way to know that when we started out (3 weeks ago when the post office said it would take half that time and just $100).
Another bonus to extending my stay through the week? People finally showed up in my hostel room! Nice, fun, PEOPLE! Megan was here on business and extended a few days to see Cape Town, Aisling is on a world trip of her own and Natasha is my fellow American (Floridian) also in career crisis. We had margaritas and big dinners and high tea. Mostly when I get in a funk I sleep in and read a few books so I'd made my way through Harry Potter 4 and Amy Poehler's Yes Please by Thursday. Then I was ready to do a few things like visit the Bo-Kaap neighborhood and have afternoon tea with the girls at the Mount Nelson Hotel and go shopping at the waterfront followed by dinner, drinks, and live music.
Bo-Kaap is an interesting township that creeps up Signal Hill. It was/is the home to Malay people who were here as slaves. When they were freed they were no longer bound to live their life in dull colors and have since embraced freedom with brightly colored houses that attract everyone for a visit.
The Mount Nelson Hotel is gorgeous, really reminds me of Savannah, GA. The food is amazing. And UK Sunday and Conde Nast Europe awarded it "Best High Tea in the World."
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| Natasha admiring our savories |
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| View from our table |
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| Our table after tea |
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| The neighbor's cat paid us a visit, yes I chased it and made it purr. |
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| Potentially part of our band wardrobe |
Friday I left for the airport to go to Johannesburg where we were delayed more than an hour and I started to freak that I'd miss my flight to Paris and subsequently Rome. As a seasoned traveler these delays usually don't bother me but in this case I'd already changed flights once and let's face it, I was so done with South Africa so I was anxious as hell. But I made it to Paris no problem, for the first time eating everything they served me, finally seeing Inherent Vice, Birdman and The Theory of Everything (yep, still behind on movies and books). I bought myself fancy perfume at duty free and boarded the plane to Rome. From there it was a three part train journey to Sorrento (or just outside) where I am currently. When I changed trains in Naples I got an Italian SIM card to see if that makes life easier and sent home my second package. When I arrived in Sorrento though my bag was still too heavy, making it difficult when google misdirected me and my 10 minute walk turned into 50, so I'm thinking of adding to the shipment (since the guy told me I could till Monday--thank you FedEx). Today is Sunday, I'm doing nothing but catching up, showering, reading and maybe eating something other than a Lemon Fanta.
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| Bonus to being misdirected |
The lessons
- The Eurail app is amazing.
- Trust packages with private couriers only (mom and I agree)
- I mailed a postcard to Courtney (who always finds the best ones) on May 14. Let's see when she gets it.
- If you would like a postcard send me your address and any special requests.
- Really, don't walk alone at night. I was remembering and there were three occasions I walked a pretty big distance alone at odd hours back to the hostel. While nothing happened to me, so many people freaked out when I mentioned it. Just don't take the chance (I will try to live by my own advice here).
- From the very start Cape Town has been one of the most gay friendly cities. No one bats and eye or cares, everyone can get married and that's been explicitly clear for almost 10 years.
- I missed seeing the Groote Schuur Hospital museum (The Heart of Cape Town) of the first ever heart transplant. It was just one of those things that kept getting pushed back even though their website proves it would have been cool.
- People smoke like crazy in South Africa, and Italy. My plane to Rome still had ashtrays in the seat arms...
- The first person I met in my hostel was an older gentleman from Colorado who went to college with Barry Alvarez.
- For the second time in my travels Facebook has stopped messages from going through...seriously, I've seen proof. I can't even find some people to friend them and it's not security related.
