Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Day 9 Cape of Good Hope
11 January 2005
We awoke to another beautiful day, filled with bright blue skies and a warm, shining sun. The only foreign ingredient was the ever-present strong south-easter winds. These winds are frequent during a Cape Tonian summer [the North American winter], keeping away red tide problems and bringing summer rains to Johannesburg. Our pictures evidence these winds-just look for our hair flying in every direction!
After a more leisurely start to the morning, we heard Margaret?s presentation on HIV/AIDS in South Africa. The devastation is HUGE; in 1991, the prevalence rate was 0.7%, and today it is over 20% in adults. The country has the most individuals with HIV/AIDS in the world, at around 5 million infected. Everywhere we've been, we haven't been able to escape the devastation? it touches so many lives. We discussed what's being done, offered ideas about what could be done, and listened to Emmanuel's African perspective on the issue.
After packing my standard SA lunch of a peanut butter sandwich on wheat and a granny smith apple, we headed out to explore the Cape Peninsula. As we drove through the affluent white suburb of Constantia, I felt uneasy knowing all of the poverty that existed right in these residents' backyards. We passed many vets, which was another eerie contrast, as we heard just heard from Margaret that many drugs and treatments for HIV and AIDS are in short supply, and here we are passing by hospitals for animals. It truly is a land of contrasts.
We stopped at an inlet beach to eat our lunch, while trying to avoid inhaling mouthfuls of sand as the wind was whipping it at our faces. The white sand had a golden sparkle, the water a vibrant turquoise hue, with small, cold waves licking at our feet as we strolled down the beach. I cannot get over the amazing natural beauty of this place--the sun, the mountains, and the beach all make for an incredible landscape.
We headed for the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, driving on a windy mountain road right on the coast. Cameras were continuously snapping as we ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the sites in front of us. The water looked so tropical and inviting, but Matt assured us it was freezing and had intense undertow. We began to see signs reading, "Baboons are dangerous and attracted by food", and got very excited. After we entered the National Park, we had our first sighting, accompanied by squeals and many clicks of the camera. We were soon to become disenchanted.
As we got out at the Cape of Good Hope to climb the rocks and inhale the beauty, Grandma Alice stayed down below to take in the sights. Thirsty, she was taking a few sips of water while standing in the car door. All of a sudden, a baboon slipped behind her and grabbed our mesh bag of snacks. Grandma saw him grasp the two handles, but the bag must have gotten caught on something in the car, because he then proceeded to pull the chips out of the bag and run off. A tour bus driver observed the interaction, and pulled out his slingshot as the baboon went on his merry way. Neil was not impressed that the baboon had stolen his Sweet Chili Pepper Doritos.
Next, we went to Cape Point and climbed up to the lighthouse at the top. We officially decided we should receive PE credit for this interim with all the hiking that is involved! The winds whipped around, but the view was truly breathtaking.
We moseyed back to our cars, quick to avoid the conniving baboons. Christine was not so lucky in this attempt. Having just purchased an ice cream, Christine saw a greedy baboon charging towards her. Tracy ran to the van to open it, but the baboon was determined. Despite Christine?s shouts of ?No, no, no!?, the baboon persisted. Defending herself, she whacked the baboon on his head. He then reached out and grabbed at her stomach!!!! At this, she threw her ice cream treat into the bushes and the baboon scampered away after it. Christine even has a baboon print on her shirt to prove this fiasco!
We headed home, and Kaelyn finally felt safe enough to eat her orange with the baboons left behind. Our hungry stomachs eagerly anticipated the Braai that awaited us back at Cornerstone. A Braai is a South African Barbecue, and it was put on for us by some members of the Cornerstone Community. We enjoyed fellowship over boerwurst [sausage] cooked over the fire, a fired vegetable stew, pap, a cornmeal-ish hash, and salad. Our conversations were temporarily interrupted by runaway plates picked up by gusts of wind. To escape the wind, we headed to the game room where games of pool and ping pong were enjoyed. We brought out ice cream floats, to add an American flavor to the evening.
A great day-capped by a sad event. Upon moving in, Allison and I discovered a near-dead bird in our room. We moved it to our balcony, hoping a bird would come take care of it. Sure enough, the next morning, we found a pigeon nestling with the baby bird. We did not think he would even survive the night, but he began to look healthier as the week went on. When we returned from our exploration, Allison went to go show the Dean's daughter how our bird was progressing. Sadly, he was found lying on his back, with a broken leg or back. So we provided him a proper burial in the dark of the night--all attendees brought a spoon to dig his grave. The gate guard must have thought we were NUTS as we processed by him in a line, with our spoons raised.
I went to bed tired, with great memories, photos, and the promise of sleeping in floating in my head.
- Danielle Plug