Sunday was the bicycle wine tour day. The company came very highly recommended by Leslie, who took a tour with them last winter. Chris, the good egg that he is, woke me up at 6:15am so that he could get me to the wine ‘n’ bike tour’s designated pick up spot in down town at 7. He is so generous! I know he’s an early riser, but I know I was asking a lot of him while he is on his holidays from school, despite his eagerness and assurance that it was no bother at all. We rolled up early, with the promise of breakfast at a café, but the street was populated by only a very few vendors setting up for the day, rolling big dollies loaded high with boxes. No cafes open, no bike tour companies waiting for tourists. At first Chris dropped me off, but he had a change of heart, drove around the block, and waited in the car with me until some geared-up people arrived. First a British couple, then three German guys, and then Richard, the bike tour leader. Richard walked us to the train station, and told me that the only place to get breakfast was the McCafe. Luckily, I don’t think McDonald’s coffee is that bad, and neither was the lemon muffin I ordered. Richard bought the tickets, and led us to the train platform. I remembered reading online that riding the metro in Cape Town is “a real experience,” with the recommendation to pay the extra 60 cents for a first class ticket to ensure safety and comfort. We boarded the first class car, and chatted while trying not to dose off for the hour long train ride to the Stellenbosch wine region. I found out that the British couple were a pilot and “trolley dolly,” as she described herself, so I grilled them for worst case scenarios while flying. They were so chill about it, and this really put me at ease.
We pulled into the Lynedoch station, and Richard led us a few hundred yards to a shed where the bikes were kept. We were given snack packs, helmets, mountain bikes, and water bottles, and at 9am, we were riding along the train tracks on a gravely road towards the first winery. It was beautiful, and there was a very proper wedding going on. I tried pinotage for the first time: it is the varietal that was developed by a South African vintner, and they are very proud of the international renown it has been getting (though it was way too watery and light for my taste!). My game plan was to pour out most of the glasses I was poured, and counter with at least equal amounts of water, and it was successful. As we rode from winery to brandy producers to winery, I never felt tipsy or anything! This not only ensured my taking in of all the views, and my safety on the trails. I also was able to win the “Tour de France” competition that the Germans started amongst themselves. There was a very long at steep hill that was the culmination, and they were “impressed by my muscles,” and my ability to beat them up it. The fact that they took many smoke breaks and drank heartily at the wineries may also have had something to do with my victory.
The views were breathtaking, with incredible mountains, trees, vines, and animals all around. Our final stop was for lunch, where I had a smoked salmon salad, made almost entirely with vegetable grown on their farm. The last biking leg was the most fun, with extreme downhill runs over soft dirt and big rocks that formed jumps. Definitely adrenaline inducing! Another highlight of this trip was speaking with Richard, the tour guide. He really loved South Africa, and has spent most of his adult life moving around it, from rural regions to urban ones and back, understanding the people and land here. He is proud of the changes that have occurred, and sees a bright future for peace and integration. As well, he hyped up his pending trip: riding a 660cc motor bike from Cape Town to Cairo. Anyone interested in joining me? Sounds like an amazing time…
Somehow, we missed the train back, so we wandered around a farm market until our kombi from the city arrived. The ride back was through many townships, and I couldn’t help but wonder whether they might be as deceiving as the favelas were, where people lead content lives, just in a different setting. Clean laundry hanging out to dry, electricity lines to most houses, cars, playgrounds…
Chris and Ryan picked me up a gas station, and brought clothes along so I could get changed for the braai (pronounced “bry”) we were heading to. A braai is a South African barbeque, with pork and lamb chops, special sausages (vors), chicken, salads, etc. We entered the gated community where their friend Grant lived, who was hosting the braai. I met about a dozen of Chris and Ryan’s friends, who were so kind, genuine, funny, and gracious. Some were preppy, some were surfers, some were into the rave scene. All were interesting and engaging. Grant was an amazing host, continually refilling drinks and tending the grill perfectly. I met Leslie’s friend Daniel, who had an awesome sense of humor. Someone had brought a hookah, so we enjoyed strawberry shishah, beers, and wonderful food as night descended, and countless stars came out. Grant’s girlfriend made an incredible blueberry cheesecake, and I wasn’t shy about having seconds! All in all, it was a beautiful night, spent with friends, in the most chill way possible. It felt so familiar, almost like home. It made me realize that aside from the touristy things to do and beautiful beaches and mountains to frequent, I could easily spend a long time in Cape Town and be perfectly content.
I slept so well that night, and woke up with the hopes of hitting up the post office and taking a train to Simon’s Town, where I was told I could rent a bike and ride the 8 km or so to Cape Point, the southernmost point on the African continent, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet, where countless sailors have feared to go, etc., etc. Chris and Ryan came with me to the post office, where we gave the woman behind the counter much “uphill” as we organized a bunch of packages. Chris and Ryan formed a stamp-licking assembly line. They were pros by the end, and contemplated going into business together. I guess they didn’t like the idea of me riding the train by myself, so they decided to ride along with me for part of the trip. And as it turned out, neither of them had ever ridden a metro train in South Africa! So I was happy to help enrich their lives by providing them with this experience, which I'm sure they would describe as “bleak.” As we headed to for the train, I did ask if they would rather just drive me, as the drive was 40 minutes and the train was an hour out and back. They said no, so on we went. We didn’t know how to locate the first class train, so as it pulled up, we started walking, then running to the front car. But as we got there, it started to pull away. Ryan jumped into a very crowded car, but luckily backed out before it gained too much momentum. We laughed really hard, and waited for the next (finding out in the meantime the location of the first class car). We rode along the sea all the way to Fish Hoek, where we transferred to a bus to Simon’s Town. The two guys rode with me all the way, just to make sure I would be ok. Once I was “safely” in a “cab,” they turned around and headed back to the city. It turns out it is 30km to Cape Point, far too long to ride to and fro at 2pm. So I got a kombi driver to take me out to the national park for a fairly pricey sum. But hey, I had no options, considering my desire to visit this amazing place.
We saw baboons on the ride out (scary! Wayne, the driver, said, “don’t be afraid, they only bite if you hold on too tightly to your bag as they are trying to steal it.” Thanks, Wayne…), and drove along sweeping cliff sides, through the park and up almost to the lighthouse at Cape Point. I was getting more and more excited, already able to see both oceans on either side of us. From the lot, it was a 20 minute walk up stairs and ramps to the lighthouse. I made it in no time, taking copious photographs along the way. Once at the top, I was amazed not by the merging of two oceans, but by the seamlessness between them. It made me realize how arbitrary human efforts to draw lines, divisions, and borders are in the face of something as commanding as the sea. And in South African, where all citizens were enfranchised in…1994. Borders and lines have real consequences, and come from real ideas, though “real” and “right” are not the same thing, nor are they universal. Boundaries are necessary for our different ways of life, but it is important to remember that their arbitrariness makes them very malleable, if enough people and things come together to make changes. This can occur consciously and unconsciously, making it important to be aware of the kind of life one wants to live.
Lucky for Wayne, I kept all this in my head. I asked him to take me to the Cape of Good Hope, just to the south west of Cape Point. It is the southernmost point, and it took everything in me not to cry! I went down to the water, and it jumped up and said hi, which I really appreciated. I couldn’t tell you now which ocean it was… probably both. It made my heart rush to picture a map of the world, and to picture myself on it; to think back to high school history class and remember learning about the importance of this place during the “age of exploration,” wondering if it crossed my mind that I would be there a couple of years later. Wayne took me past ostriches eating in the sandy banks along the Atlantic, and to Boulders Beach, where hundreds of weird, still, gawking two foot tall penguins were standing around on rocks and hills, as if waiting for a boarding call or a bus arrival. The only one doing anything was digging a hole under a bench. Hmm.
On the train home, I got in the nearest car. It was, apparently, economy class, and though I did get some stares from my fellow riders, everything was completely fine. Chris was grateful to god to hear from me, thinking I was long since kidnapped and on my way up the coast. I went for a swim in the heated pool at Chris’s apartment complex, had a delicious dinner courtesy of Chris and Jason, and we headed out for my farewell drinks at their favorite pub, Forries.
Forrester’s Arms is a very quaint pub, with a very big and beautiful beer garden in the back. Chris, Jason and I had lagers under the branches and little lights as we waited for Lauren, a good friend of Dan D’s, to arrive. I had no idea what she was doing in Cape Town, where she was from, or how Dan knew her. I just knew that he wanted us to meet up, so we made it happen. She arrived, and turned out to be one of the loveliest, most interesting people you could ever meet. She was in Cape Town working for FIFA (the World Cup is occurring here in a few months, and the country is completely abuzz), and knew Dan through work in NYC. We laughed, and talked travel, Cape Town, and New York. Ryan and Stasha showed up, and livened up the party. Then Grant and Daniel came, and we got downright loud! But I think it was a school night, so we turned it in pretty early, after a reflection session on the balcony.
The weather has followed a certain pattern since I have been in Cape Town: breezy and cool in the morning, warm and very windy during the day, and cloudy, cool, and windy at night. Not bad, but not ideal, either. Today, I woke up and there was not a cloud in the sky, it was still as a church, and the sun had already warmed the balcony by 7.30am. I stretched, and went out to check the cloud situation over Table Mountain, as my plan was to take the cable car up before I had to pack and head to the airport. I looked out, and not only were there absolutely no clouds, the mostly-full moon was hanging just above the mountain. Unbelievable! Ryan drove me to the cable car, and I headed right up. I took in some incredible views, of the nearby mountain ranges, the city, the beaches, the rocks, and clouds... After snapping lots of shots and making the round up there (it’s flat on top, hence “Table Mountain”), I grabbed a coffee and watched the moon set over the ocean, and thought about the east coast, where it was still out in the dark, about Hawaii, where it was probably just rising for the night. It really does connect us! And it’s so darn beautiful…
A cab back, a quick packing job, and goodbyes to the gang. Chris brought me back to the post office (I wanted to give more uphill to the people there), and to the airport. He is such a sweet, caring guy (sorry to blow your tough guy cover!), and I am so grateful to him and his friends for all of they did for me. I really hope to return the favor at home! We had a lovely goodbye, and I was on Mango Air to Joburg! That’s where I am right now, eating dried fruit, waiting for the Qatar Airways counter to open to I can check into my flight to Doha, where I’ll have an hour layover (yikes!) until my flight to Bangkok. I was looking up Bangkok hostels online, and upon consulting a map, I realized that Thailand is going to be a very different place than I’m used to! The streets look confusing, the street names look very difficult to pronounce, and I can’t read the Thai alphabet… but it will be a very cool feeling to again be out of my skin, which is a feeling I love. I guess I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t love it. People say that Asia is very different than Europe, Latin America, and the rest of the West. They live lives very unlike ours. So my first time in Asia will likely be interesting! Wish me luck on those long flights… I lost my gelsemium, and am not looking forward to flying without it.
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