"Eminem seems like inappropriate music for a wine tasting"

We got back yesterday from a lovely tour of the vineyards just outside Cape Town. We were lucky enough to have Mark and Carmen as guides, so we spent very little money hopping from wine tasting to wine tasting. The wine is really good, and it's really cheap. We started at 11 a.m, and after the second vineyard, you can't really taste the wine anymore. Normally, you get to sample five wines. Some places offered the tastings for free, and others you had to pay 20 rand or something (about 3 dollars). Mark has family in the area, so we went to their place after the wine tastings, where they urged us to try more dessert wines, brandy and liqueurs. Mark's uncle arranged for us to stay in this rustic yet luxurious cabin on a mountain, and for free! The place was gorgeous. I wish I could post pictures. We had an authentic South African braai (barbecue) on the patio, and a really good nights sleep. The next morning we did more wine tastings on the drive back to Cape Town, as well as an olive oil, and olive tasting, and a brandy tasting. The brandy tasting was tough. They should really give you some coke to chase it with! When we got back into Cape Town we went for some Mexican food and margaritas, and partied on Long Street, with the overly excited Spaniards chanting "Yo soy espanol, espanol, espanol"... all night.

Jaaaaaaaaa Deutschland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The last night we were in Vic Falls, we stayed up with these two British guys and waited for the sunrise. We had heard that watching the sunrise from the posh Victoria Falls hotel was spectacular. The sun peaks out from the mist of the falls, and goes over the bridge. It really takes your breath away. Even though we were completely exhausted, it was worth it. We would have gone to bed if only we had an alarm. No one in the hostel was going to do a wake up call, so staying up was the only option! We had to be up early for a flight from Zambia -Jo'Burg-Cape Town anyway, so we slept on the plane!

It was so good to see Carmen and Mark again! They are both South African, and I met them in Berlin. Mark's family is Afrikaans, and Carmen is originally from a place called East London. They moved to Cape Town just under a year ago, and their place is amazing. Carmen kept on telling me about how small it was, but it's not. It's a bachelor apartment, but I'm pretty sure it's the size of my two bedroom in Ottawa. You can see table mountain from the window, there's a mall across the street, and Long Street (the big party street) is only a few blocks away!!! The location couldn't be better. I was certain that we would spend Friday night resting, but after a few glasses of wine, and catching up with Mark and Carmen, we decided to go out. We went to this place across the street from their apartment. It was eighties night, and we ended up talking and dancing with these two American brothers staying at the hotel that Carmen works at. Apparently they go to all the World Cups. They were in Germany and South Korea, and will be in Brazil in four years! I love the passion involved in soccer. It's unparallelled in any other sport. 3000 fans from England weren't allowed into South Africa during world cup, due to charges of hooliganism. Hockey fans get rowdy, but 3000 people banned from a sporting event! Now that is passion.

Anyway, yesterday we spent lounging and relaxing. We went for tea, had delicious Ethiopian takeout for dinner, and watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

This morning we did a tour of one of the townships. It was called Langa, and is one of the oldest townships in Cape Town. I have always had a fascination with poverty, so the township tour was a must for me. I was honestly really surprised as to how positive the overall experience was. One would expect a tour of a shanty town to be very depressing, but it left the reverse impression. It was probably one of the most uplifting things I have ever experienced. The first thing we did was go to a baptist church service, which felt more like a party than anything. The church was in a building that looked like a tin can. There wasn't a single crucifix, stained glass window or virgin mary statue, but the service was full of life. The music was amazing. People were dancing, and everyone was smiling at each other and very friendly and welcoming. After the service we visited with some families, and interacted with the locals. We were in this one home, where three families shared one bedroom. There were only three single beds in the small room, and each family had a bed. 15 people total shared this tiny room. There was a small market set up in the township, where I spent way too much money on a piece of artwork for Uncle Mike and Mel. I thought it would be better to buy something from there, than from downtown. The people there could really use the money. Our guide said that the locals in the township are really open to tourism, because it gives them hope. Everyone said hi to us, and all the children wanted their picture taken. It was definitely a highlight of this trip, and I think it's a must for anyone who ever comes to South Africa. I want to go to another township in Durban once I'm back there next week.

After the township tour, we went to an Irish pub to watch the Germany vs. England game. We got to the fan center by the water front two and a half hours before the game started, and tickets were already sold out. So next time, we'll have to go even earlier. Either way, I'm very happy that Germany won. Those 3000 English hooligans that weren't allowed in the country must be losing it right now. There's a few hours until the Mexico vs. Argentina game. We're going to a Mexican restaurant to watch it. It will probably be crazy. I can still hear German fans honking their horns and blowing into those vuvuzelas!

Hakuna Matata

Victoria Falls is spectacular!!!! I don't even know where to start. We were originally only going to stay for one night, and then head to Namibia. But due to infrequent buses, and our lack of planning we ended up having to stay here for a few extra days, which is completely okay by me. We've met some very awesome people, and have done a lot. I even had a job interview for an internship in Sao Paulo. I called using a bartender's cell phone. The connection was horrible, there was loud music in the background, and I was feeling a little tipsy. I highly doubt that I will get a second interview! Later that evening, we ended up going to a local bar (and we were the only white people there), in the cab on the way there we saw an elephant on the side of the road! In the middle of the town! Yesterday we went on a sunset cruise which had an open bar. We took full advantage. From the boat we could see hippos, elephants and warthogs. Today we went to the falls, and got absolutely soaked. I must say, Victoria Falls makes Niagra Falls look like a bathtub. It is stunning. In the afternoon we went rode elephants. It wasn't nearly as horrible as my experience riding camels in the Sahara. Elephants are way better than camels! We're leaving for a dance show now, so I'll write more about Vic Falls later!

"Black. Shorts. Let's Go"

That's what the cab driver "Dixie" said upon picking us up at the relatively sketchy bus station in Johannesburg. That bus station was an experience. African women can balance anything on their heads. The other day in Maputo, I saw a lady walking down the street with a propane tank proped on her head, and at the bus station I've seen several women balancing suitcases! And heavy ones with rollers! It's very impressive, but I don't understand why they don't just roll it. It's not like they're hands are full. I'm at the airport at the moment. We took a night bus here from Maputo, because flights to Zimbabwe were only $160 as opposed to $500. The night bus was double decker and super comfortable. I was very pleasantly surprised. Marina hooked us up with a ride to the airport from the bus station. She knows the cab driver Dixie, told him that we'd be the only white people waiting there, and that I'd be wearing black, and Peter would be wearing shorts. It's amazing all the connections that these people have. They set us up with a sweet cab driver (who drove a brand new Mercedes Benz, and took us to this travel agency called "Quintessentially" to book a flight to Victoria Falls. We haven't actually paid for our flight yet. And the Air Zimbabwe counter has yet to open. This is definitely the first time I've showed up at the airport without having actually paid for my ticket first. So we better go take care of that!

"Tell Everyone in Canada, We're Dying From Too Much Food!"

After several hours in a cramped car, we arrived in Maputo on Friday night. There were five of us packed into a little Nissan. We saw elephants and giraffes on the drive up, which was very exciting. Mainly for Peter and me. The Africans in the car didn't seem nearly as thrilled. Peter's friend Marina is Mozambiquan, and she was kind enough to drive us here, and put us up in her gorgeous home. This house is beautiful, and I never want to leave. Marina and her family are incredible. Everything I've heard about Mozambique is true. This place is seriously beautiful and charming, and people are really nice. (except for the person who stole Peter's cell phone). Internet access here is very slow, and hard to come across. So for the next week or so I'm not sure how frequent these blog updates will be. Anyway, I'm in love with Maputo, and want to move here. I also love that people here speak Portuguese. I think it's some sort of rule, that people who speak a latin language are amazing dancers. We did a lot of that last night. Yesterday was probably the most random day of my life. We did so much I don't even know where to start. And nothing is ever planned here. Things just happen. We ended up at the police station, because some corrupt police officers wanted money from Marina for making an "illegal turn". They thought she was a foreigner because she has a South African license plate. Apparently getting stopped by police is a common occurence. We went to this really amazing fish market with a bunch of Marina's friends and her parents. The food was incredible, hence the title. That's what Marina's Mom told me in order to clear up the misconception that all Africans are starving. I would write more, but I feel like I'm hogging the computer. We're heading to Zimbabwe tomorrow, and still don't know how we're going to get there. So we should probably figure that out.

Disappointments

So Switzerland beat Spain yesterday. I guess I opted to cheer for the wrong team. My father said "never underestimate the Swiss, they beat Canada in hockey." He's right. Either way, it was still fun to dress up as a Spanish superhero for the day. Peter and I were decked out in facepaint and wore gigantic Spanish flags on our backs (that we bought for 50 rand, the equivalent of 7 dollars). Things in this country are pretty cheap. Beer at the game was 30 rand (about 4 dollars).... and that was considered expensive. Durban is very developed, and I feel very safe here. I know that I've only been here two days, but I think that if you're careful, and know the places to go and the places not to go, everything will be fine. Plus the areas where the games are, could very well be the safest place on the planet right now. There are herds of police officers, and even the occasional military helicopter flying above the grounds. The roads are nicer than the ones in Calgary, the Airport is brand new (for world cup), the university is beautiful. The campus is like a jungle. People are incredibly nice and laid-back. The beachfront (where all the soccer stuff is set up) is amazing. It's really beautiful to see all these different cultures and people coming together to celebrate the games. I didn't get the job with Vale, but I think that here is a pretty good place to be in the mean time while I figure things out. To be honest, I thought I'd be a lot more upset than I am. It would have been too rushed anyway. For now, I'll try to forget about it, and enjoy my time in Africa. That shouldn't be too hard. We're going to a drum circle tonight, and Mozambique tomorrow!

Finally Here

I've finally arrived in Durban, after a 20 hour flight through Dubai, and an impromptu family trip to New York City. I'm tired and jet-lagged, but in a few minutes Peter and I are going to paint our faces in yellow and red to prep for the Spain vs. Switzerland game. I didn't get to sleep much on the plane, and I didn't get to sleep much in Dubai. I made some friends on the plane from JFK to Dubai; an aspiring photo journalist from small town Quebec, and a Harvard grad living in Uganda and working in micro-finance. Dubai's airport is stunning and pristine. Gigantic white columns line the baggage claim room, and they sparkle! The city is oozing in opulence. The hotel that emirates put me up in was just a three star five minutes from the airport, but it was beautiful. The free dinner they gave us upon arrival was amazing, and we signed up for a night tour of the city. They took us to all the major sites, the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world, the largest mall in the world, and a really fancy hotel with an enormous aquarium. It was oppressively hot, even after midnight. It was 36 degrees Celsius. I can't even imagine what it's like during the day. After the tour, we went back to the hotel in search of beers. It was already after last call (which is three a.m. in Dubai), but the bartender sold us bottled beer anyway, and said it didn't matter as long as we drank outside. So we bought a few each, and parked ourselves by the fan. So much for an evening of rest.