Day 31 - Monday

Feeling like successful Capetonian now. Woke up early and went to the mall to return movies (yes, the movie rental place is at the mall too, right next to the grocery store). Drove to work at UCT and parked in the correct lot (got a parking ticket last week). Did all this without a map or any wrong turns! Class was fun. Field trip to Vodacom in Century City. Learned why my Internet access is poor, and that improvements are well underway. Lots of interesting differences between infrastructure here and home. All geeky boring stuff, but I love it! Had dinner at Mexican place. Fajitas. Not like home, but OK :) Corona tastes the same.

Day 30 - Sunday

Slept 11 hours. Still fighting off a lingering cold. Nice, sunny day. Went to Company's Garden to feed squirrels again. New favorite morning walk. Boy brought carrots and fed a bunny rabbit too. Then, to the beach. OK, so didn't quite make it to the beach, but a restaurant next to the beach. Watched the sunset on the ocean and drank ridiculously expensive pink champagne. Bed early for class tomorrow.

Day 29 - Saturday

Left cape town early for a group trip to see the Boulders Penguins. Had lunch by the bay and on to Cape Point where we hiked to the light house. The views are awesome, ocean everywhere you look. Then stopped at the Cape of Good Hope where there are enormous piles of seaweed ropes. Saw some baboons and Ostrich on the journey. Nearly everyone slept the entire ride home. Turned in early. Happy and exhausted.

Day 28 - Friday

If you lose money one day, you should earn it back the next, right? Not so much. Played all day, then went home. Everyone still loves the casino :)

Day 27 - Thursday

Walked through the Company's Garden to feed the squirrels. Ronny had a bag of nuts in his jacket pocket and when he wasn't paying attention a squirrel ran up his leg and dove into his pocket after it. Had lunch in the Garden just before the rains started, then visited the National Gallery. Still raining off and on, so we went back to the casino for the night. Learned how to say "lucky" in Afrikaans.

Day 26 - Wednesday

The boy's day to make up for a day at the pub. Breakfast, bowling, arcade, and game shopping. Bought Clue, which has been updated to include a pool and spa as rooms and Jack Mustard as a retired football player among other things. Played several games of Clue and watched TV and home. TV is different here. Some of the same satellite channels, but a different collection of shows. The History and Science channels are a lot more interesting, always showing something good, with a lot less "reality" TV crap. The Disney Channel is even better. More variation in shows, and far less reruns.

Day 25 - Tuesday

We visited the Aquarium and saw a lot of interesting sea creatures, and many penguins. Our timing was perfect. As we walked through the fish, a side door opened, and out toddled several penguins. They were being moved from one area to another. We followed the procession through the Aquarium. It was awesome. The penguins have clearly done this before. They marched in line and knew exactly where they were going.

Afterwards, we went to our favorite pub for a late lunch. A rugby team had taken over the place, and were waiting for the game to start 2.5 hours later. We decided to do the same :) Played cards until the game started, then watched our first Rugby match with a group of rowdy guys in red jackets and wigs. After rugby, the pub went straight into karaoke, so we couldn't leave. Tabi and I sang GreenDay's American Idiot. That was embarrassing. Later we did another song I forget. As I tried to drag the kids out at the end (the karaoke filled the pub beyond capacity), we were called back to do one more song. We chose Ronny's song, Uncle Cracker, Drift Away. The boy even joined us on stage for the last line. It was awesome!

Day 24 - Monday

Class at UCT and field trip to Psitek. This is a great company, I love it. They develop technologies for under served communities in Africa and South America. Our host Chris Williamson treated us to an engaging talk and demonstration of their products. We were even fortunate enough to meet the CEO and co-founder. It was a great experience. A very impressive company, with innovative and proven successful ideas for bringing technology to the world.

Day 23 - Sunday

Still have a cold. Chose to ignore it and took a long walk through Company's Gardens. Lots of squirrels there. Never saw so many in one place, and so accustomed to people. Came right up to us and begged for nuts. Had long lunch and cocktails all afternoon on Kloof Street. Then bought some nuts.

Thought it was time to sleep, but Tabi talked me into going to the Irish Pub for dinner. We watched a game. My apologies to all you soccer fans, but damn, that is boring. Several hours of guys kicking the ball back and forth across the field, and no one scoring. It's hard to get excited about it!

Day 22 - Saturday

Have a cold. Rested all day.

Day 21 - Friday

Lunch on Kloof Street. Another busy area of town with "parking/traffic assistants" directing you to an open spot on the road. They literally stand in the lane you're driving down and direct you to a spot, whether you are looking for one or not! Not sure if we're supposed to tip them? Found a video rental place after lunch. "Hancock" and "Shark Boy and Lava Girl". The boy has seen the latter a dozen times already. I reeeallly don't like it.

A couple of hours trolling the stands at Green Market Square for souvenirs. Tabi is the better bargainer. I never did like this concept, but have experienced it in 4 countries now. I do love African style art, so if I don't bring you back a souvenir, it's because I bought you one and liked it too much to give it up :P

Day 20 - Thursday

Spa day. Facial and pedicure. Spa was next to the ocean. Drank tea, read the local paper, and watched the boats at sea while Tabi finished up.

Soccer is the main event here. The entire town is renovating for the 2010 FIFA. Went to a pub for dinner to watch a game. We told the waitron we wanted to see the game, and he walked us around the pub, offering different tables. He passed us through a room with a great table, and we said we wanted to sit there. He responded by suggesting another table in a different area. We declined and he seated us at the table we requested. Only after awhile we realized the segregation in the pub. All the white patrons were in the front room where he tried to put us first. The room we chose was filled with black patrons. It was subtle, but after thinking about it, he really was trying to direct us to the white crowd. I've noticed this kind of segregation a lot here. We've shopped at several groceries. We were the only white people in the one down the street, and noticed no black people in the grocery at the mall.

I may just be slow, but it took us a couple of weeks to realize how different the culture is here. Normally when I visit another country, I'm careful to adopt their cultural practices and fit in. However, this is one I'm not comfortable with. Personally, I would rather shop at the grocery down the street. It's closer!

Day 19 - Wednesday

I love waking up to room service. After breakfast, we went down to the hotel lounge and left the boy practicing his chess moves. Tabi and I went into the private casino area for coffee and games. The service was excellent. Our server brought over a small cart with coffee and cookies. Minimums are higher here, 5R for the machines. We finished our coffee and met the boy in the room to pack up. He happily announced, "I beat myself in chess". After checking out, we spent the rest of the day in the casino. We learned that Tabi's driver's license with a birth date of 08/03/91 translates to March 8, 1991 here, making her 18, the legal drinking and gambling age :) We Learned a new game, Raise 'em Poker. Tabi loved it. I left her at the table for a while and joined the boy. We had ice cream and retired to the lounge for a game of chess, which I lost in about "n" moves, where "n" is the number of pieces I started with. Collected Tabi from the table, just as she recouped her losses with 3 Aces.

In the end, they boy spent as much as we did, but we all had a great time, so it was worth the entertainment expense, and a lot cheaper than our trip to Disney World in April! Will probably go again before we leave.

Day 18 - Tuesday

GrandWest Casino. This new resort has a very nice hotel with cozy lounges, and two private gaming floors for hotel guests. The hotel is attached to the main casino that includes 2 additional gaming areas, a number of restaurants, and a family area. The family area has ice skating, bowling, a movie theater, arcade, and kids amusement park. We checked in early and spent the day having fun. The boy enjoyed the family area while I introduced Tabi to my favorite pastime, gambling :) The machines are the same as in the states. From nickel slots to 1R machines. Tables are proportionally higher. Minimum is 25R. I guess I should mention the exchange rate: 1 Rand is about $0.12! We're getting spoiled by the relatively low cost of things here. Had a fun day and ended by watching Night at the Museum 2 in the theater. Slept well.

Day 17 - Monday

Class at UCT followed by a trip to the South African National Bioinformatics Institute at the University of the Western Cape. That makes a long acronym. Our host, Alan Christoffels, gave an interesting talk about the group's research. In one project, they are looking at fish that are all born female, and a percentage of the population changes to male at some point. Trying to identify the genes involved in the transformation. Fascinating stuff.

Day 16 - Sunday

Tried to work all morning, and Internet service was down. Ended up playing mini golf and going to a place where you can dig through a sandbox of polished stones. Then tried watching a cricket match at a pub. Don't understand cricket :)

Day 15 - Saturday

Awoke very early and drove to students' backpacker's where we all boarded a bus for a 2 hour drive to the east coast for shark cage diving. We had a quick breakfast with our host (captain?), who rushed us out the door a little early. Bad weather on the way, and he wanted to make sure we got out to sea before the winds picked up. Didn't say anything about getting back to shore though!

20 minutes of fast boating over choppy seas. I stood in the cabin, which turned out to be the worst place to ride. My arms are aching from hanging on to an overhead bar while the boat tossed us around; slamming over the waves. Finally dropped anchor near Seal Island. This time of year there are some 60,000 seals on the island, and lots of pups (that's a baby seal, right?). The sharks are attracted to the island and circle around looking for a meal.

Our captain ordered us to the top deck and pointed to a metal ladder along the side of the boat. His advise was not to fall in as there are sharks in the water. "Got it, thanks". My sneakers slipped on the wet metal rungs as the boat tossed about in the waves. Atop, we were given a quick orientation as the cage was dropped into the water, and chum line of fish heads laid out. The first group of 4 went back down to the cabin to get into wet suits. The crew draws in the sharks with two lines; one rope with a fish head at the end, and another with a foam "baby seal" named SpongeBob. We attracted a shark right away. Big! The captain looked at the first 4 divers in black wet suits and said, "you all look like seals, great!" Then directed them into the cage.

I took some pics and videos as the crew drew the shark in close to the cage with SpongeBob. The crew yells to the divers, "down, and to the left!". They duck under the water to see the shark and come up screaming as it swims towards the cage. This repeats for some time. Another shark joins us, and the next 4 divers go into the cage. The rope with the fish head is also used to draw in the shark until they grab the bait and snatch it off the line. At one point, a shark got hold of the bait, and the rope was stuck. The crew scrambled to cut the line while the shark struggled and slammed against the cage.

Time for the 3rd group of divers to go down. Ronny jumped right into the cage. His wet suit was too big for him, and the air inside prevented him from staying down in the cage. He waited for me while I unsuccessfully tried to pull goggles over my glasses. This did not work out well at all. While I was struggling with it, Ronny climbed back out and decided he didn't like being in the cage. I stayed with him, and we let Tabi and a few other students go down. The sharks were bored with us by then, and the last group spent a long time in the cage waiting, and freezing until they came back. This turned out to be the last dive. I'm not sorry I missed it. The view was great from the boat, and far less cold. The last 4 came out of the cage frozen.

Now, a rain storm is coming in. We all rush to get out of the suits while the boat readies to bring us closer to the seals. We circled the islands for a bit and had fantastic views of the seals blanketing them. Sat in the back of the boat for the ride to shore. This was far better than in the cabin. The ride back was ... grrr, lost Internet connection, and the rest of this blog entry! Something about a bumpy ride back I suppose, followed by a long bus ride home.

Day 14 - Friday

Drove along the coast a bit and ended at V&A Waterfront. Sat and worked for awhile while kids walked about exploring. We all went on a boat ride; the Jolly Roger. The pirates put on a show and were a lot of fun, took many pics to post to Flickr. Was a great trip. Had dinner at water front, then found an underwater disposable camera at the mall. Have to get up early for shark cage diving tomorrow!

Day 13 - Thursday

Sick all day. Think my interesting food adventures have caught up to me. Laid about complaining most of the day, then took a long nap. Went for dinner at Asoka where they asked us to leave. No kids allowed. Had tripped walking downhill on the way and now have badly bruised knee. Had nice dinner at pizza place, then nearly wrecked the car. Was trying to negotiate a quick u-turn on a busy road, and didn't quite make it. Then, when I went to put the car in reverse to re-align, I moved it to second instead and nearly slammed into a parked car. It was close. Surprising how difficult it is to shift left handed without really thinking about it. Happy to get home safe!

Day 12 - Wednesday

More shopping today. Sheesh. Finally got some work in during the day, and spent some time at home. Cuban restaurant for dinner. Really good bread and salad. Having dessert at the Mexican place after, had our first anti-American encounter. Three girls in the table behind us were looking around the ground in the dark. One of them had lost something from one of her piercings. Tabi had a flashlight on her phone and went over to help. She asked if they were looking for something and one girl said, "isn't it obvious?" in a sarcastic tone. At that point, I would have stopped trying to help ... but Tabi smiled and offered her flashlight and assistance anyway. To this the girl responded by waving us off and sneering, "you're Americans, you can leave now." We refrained from ripping the rest of her piercings out :)

Day 11 - Tuesday

Went to Monkey Village. They have a lot of different monkeys and a giant enclosure with a walk through human cage. Some of the monkeys love showing off and try really hard to get your attention. Others will come right up and talk to you, but turn away as soon as you take out a camera. One in particular was really chatty, but every time I tried to take a picture, he turned around a pressed his but up against the cage. A little one was able to squeeze through the cage onto the human path, but squeezed back in when people got close. A large black monkey walked along the top of the human path cage and followed us for a bit. They also had a lot of birds, big and small. One says hello when you walk up. After saying hello a few times, he gets bored with you and says good bye and walks away. If you pursue, he keeps saying good bye and moving further away. They have a place where you can interact with some of the monkeys, but we got there too late and have to go back now and do that. It was kind of sad to see the monkeys closed in, but they seem to be very well taken care of and happy. They have nice areas to play and hide in, and lots of food around. I saw several workers moving through the facility talking to the monkeys and taking care of them.

The village is 45 minutes outside of Cape Town, we stopped at a mall on the way back in search of food. Again, mostly seafood and asian restaurants. We ate at the Cape Town Fish Company. Same as the US chain. Still not able to eat much, but had some saki. We stopped to visit with students on the way in to town, where everyone unanimously agreed to go shark cage diving this weekend.

Back at home, went to Long Street for a late dinner. Found a Mexican restaurant. You know you're an Arizonan when the first place you find that you like serves mexican food. Burritos, tacos, and Corona, hooray! For the first time, we all cleared our plates. The boy even had chocolate ice cream for the first time since we arrived. So, finally we have a favorite place to eat :)

Day 10 - Monday

I am either hard of hearing, or people here talk very softly. We must sound like loud obnoxious Americans to them. First day of class at UCT. Had a fun lecture/discussion with group. We are all experiencing and learning a lot very quickly. Went to the campus computer lab where everyone worked on their blogs, then had lunch at the Student Union. Then hoped on a tour bus to visit a local township. The township reminds me of Mexico, just across the border from Texas. Our host there is Luvuyo Rani, a South African man who set up the town's first Internet cafe. He has an awesome story. In short, after selling computers to all the local schools, he realized there was no one around to maintain them, so he set up a sells and service shop. When the business didn't take off, he realized not enough people in the township knew how to use a computer, so he set up training centers. His company, Silulo Ulotho Technologies now operates several training centers that offer certification in computing skills, in addition to the now sucessful Internet cafe and computer sells and service center. Luvuyo is an excellent entreprenuer and has accomplished a lot. The tour was very educational and inspiring.

Back home, the kids insisted on Canal Walk mall again for dinner. Got to experience rush hour traffic on the drive out. We were headed for a "Mexican" restaurant we saw there. It turns out the "Mexico" in the title did not imply Mexican cuisine. In fact, it was a steakhouse. We ate at Dros again instead. The bar at Dros seems to be a very popular gay bar. Lots of good looking guys with no prospects ;)

Day 9 - Sunday

The group slowly woke up and piled back into our bus. Everyone is looking a little beat up, but happy. Long drive home and spent the day recovering at the flat.

Day 8 - Saturday

Robertson's Wacky Wine Weekend is here! Piled into a bus in the morning with our students and about 60 other students here working with Connect 123. A long drive to Robertson, and saw our first monkeys lining the highway. Stopped at a vineyard for wine tasting and live jazz. Then another stop for more wine tasting, and moonshine from a still. They had a slide that dumps you into a pool of wine. Our host went down, I did not ;) On to the next 2 stops. Half the group went on a boat ride, the rest on to another vineyard to blend and bottle our own wine. Everyone having an awesome time. People from all over flock to Robertson for this event. I met a lot of people from different areas in South Africa. Everyone speaks with a strong accent. Did not run across another American outside our group. We only went to 4 places, but there were many more on the list.

Finally to our last stop. A vineyard with a live band, lots more wine, and tents set up to camp there. After leaving our stuff and a sleeping boy in the tent, I headed out to party a bit. On the way back, realized my tent was somewhere in the middle of a sea of about 100 identical tents! Spent a long time wondering around calling the boys name. My students showed up at the tent site, and the boys split up and starting poking their heads in tent after tent until one of them finally found him. Fast asleep. Yay! I dove into my tent and crashed. Felt like 4am, but it was only 10.

Day 7 - Friday

Walked down Long Street, this is lined with shops, restaurants and Backpackers. Ate at yet another Irish pub. I've seen mostly Asian, Italian, and Irish restaurants so far, and only a couple of African places. Oh, and lots of seafood and steak. I think my stomach has shrunk significantly, still haven't gotten used to the food, and most options include meat of some kind (of which kind is sometimes questionable; "game" is popular). Walked around the shops, then stayed home for awhile. Trying to learn how to use the washing machine, which is also a dryer.

I remembered seeing a micro brewery during our tour and set out to find it for dinner. Went to the V&A waterfront. Another mall, with lots of restaurants in and around it. Mostly seafood and Italian. Finally found the brewhouse, which turns out to be a Scottish restaurant. Again, lots of meat options. Ate little, but the brew was decent. Saw the Jolly Roger docked there. This looks just like the boat from the movie. Will go back for a boat ride some day. Of course, this is docked next to a luxury boat also for hire. May have to do both :)

Day 6 - Thursday

It's been raining since we arrived. Going camping this weekend and need warm clothes and rain boots. Spent the entire day shopping at Canal Walk mall. The mall is not much different than those in the states. Bought a lot of stuff and ate at Dros restaurant in the mall. They have a kids play area with games and a trampoline inside. Boy loves this place. Still can't get used to the food. Had some bread and beer. Speaking of, beer selection here is small. Castle, the local brew; Amstel, not Amstel Light, and Peroni are usually on tap. Wine is clearly the more popular drink. Drove home exhausted in the rain.

Day 5 - Wednesday

Left in the morning to pick up Tabi from the student's place where she spent the night. On the way back, could not get into the city. Roads were closed everywhere. We circled around trying to get in from all directions. Traffic was a nightmare and every road we wanted to go down was closed. Finally drove off in the opposite direction to find a restaurant to chill at. Failed. Ended up at a McDonald's drive through and ate in the parking lot. Even this tastes different here. Didn't eat much. Back to town and managed to get all the way to the street where our parking garage entrance is. The guards blocking the road there were letting some people through. We told one female guard we needed in to get to our home, and she said no. Had us holding up traffic to back out and turn around. By now we're mad as hell. Been driving around for several hours. Very frustrating. Circled around again. While stuck in traffic, Tabi got out and walked over to another male guard on our street aiming to demand we were let in :) She asked why some cars were being let through. He said you just need a reason to go down that road. She told him our reason, "we live there" and he said no problem and let us pass. Really peeved that the first guard denied us. Not sure if it was racial, or she thought we were lying. The other one was more than happy to let us pass ... (Found out days later that a President was speaking at Parliament and the roads were closed for that).

Finally got to our parking garage. Enter the garage, turn left 38 times, and park. We timed it, takes nearly 5 minutes. I refuse to leave again. Found Mr. Delivery booklet in flat. This company delivers from dozens of restaurants. Additionally, they will bring you milk and alcohol :) Ordered food, which again tasted different. Hope I get used to the food here before I starve.

Day 4 - Tuesday

Walked about Green Market Square. There are a lot of interesting people and shops, including stands everywhere selling stuff. Very similar to some areas of Manhattan. Had lunch at an Irish pub. So far, all of the food here tastes different, even though a lot of the names are the same. Spent some more time looking for things we needed and settling in. Takes a while to figure out where to find basic necessities.

The students started their internships today, and we all met for a welcome dinner at Africa Cafe. This is a very cool restaurant. We had a large table in our own room for the group. The menu is the same for everyone, and food is delivered item by item and passed around the table to share. African food and every dish was new to us. Tabi and our vegetarian student were both adventurous enough to try the ostrich dish. My taste buds are far more timid. The staff played music and painted everyone's face. Lots of fun. Great restaurant. Had wine and after dinner shooters which both seem to be popular here. Students all talked about their internships, they are having a lot of fun. Tabi went out with the students after, and the boy and I crashed. Still not acclimated to the time zone, and haven't managed a full meal yet!

Day 3 - Monday

Woke up too early again, still not acclimated to the time zone. Good thing though, awoke to power out at flat. Power is pay as you go. No pay, no go. Flat very dark, but local cell phone has flashlight. Brilliant. Everything should come with flashlight. Still no Internet. Lived in dark for just a bit, then got it "sorted".

Drove to students' Backpackers with no problem, and caravan'd to the University of Cape Town, our new school. Toured the campus. There are stairs everywhere. Everywhere. Even in a bathroom. Everywhere, literally. Very interesting tour, but somewhat exhausting for us flatlanders from Phoenix. I think we were all happy to pile into our tour van at the end.

Tour van took us to Table Mountain where we rode up on a cable car. Clouds passed over the mountain top while we were there. Went through cycles of incredible views, and thick fog. It was awesome. Then to another peak, where I bought a painting from an artist there. They have a cannon atop the peak that fires at noon everyday. I asked if the cannonballs are just piling up in the ocean, and no one seemed to know :)

On to Long Street where the girls spent a LOT of time looking at rain boots. Love you girls! But, yes, a lot of time there, and other shops along the road. Then to V&A Waterfront Mall, and back to the Backpacker's. It was a long, long day of roaming about. Reminded me how old I am! Entire body aching by the end. Drive home and happily flop at lodging. Loved the tours immensely, as well as the tea that everyone drinks here. But, happy to relax a bit now.

The parade is back on our street. Can't muster up the energy to go downstairs, can hear it from my flat though.

Day 2 - Sunday

Still working on Internet access; different to do without. Relying on offline information sources, wow! Not easy to adjust to. Another orientation with students at their "backpackers", which is like a hostel. Very cool place. A planned tour of Cape Town was postponed due to weather. Water falling from the sky. Rain, I think. Back at room, still haven't worked out Internet access. How do people live without it? Returned to Backpackers for a Braai (South African Barbecue). Local musician brought instruments and tried to teach us rhythm. I failed. Food and company were incredibly awesome though!

Drove there and back in silly, tall, small, rental car. Feels like driving a clown car, on the wrong side of everything. Did well, aside from missing our destination by 5 miles and backtracking. Then, on the way home, turned right from a one way street into the right 2 lanes of oncoming traffic on a busy road. The headlights coming at me acted as an excellent reminder to move to the left. Very good luck provided for the median and left lanes open as I promptly made a direct path to the "correct" side of the road. Lesson learned. Do not rely on instincts and relax. Stay alert driving. Got that too :)

Day 1 - Saturday

Long, long flight to South Africa. Stopped in London. Lost a bit of money on a poorly executed and undereducated dollar-pound-euro conversion. Lesson learned. Don't exchange dollars for euros in London, and then purchase items for pounds with your euros. Double whammy. Lose twice. Got it ;)

Flight was delayed out of London. As rumor has it, luggage was on the plane belonging to a passenger who didn't show up for the flight. Watched as 2 crates were removed from the plane, and returned later. Assuming the offending luggage was removed.

Flying low into Cape Town, could actually see the whales in the ocean ... lots of them. As well as an odd circle of agitated water in the middle of the sea. Might be an elevated rock formation forming a wave. Spurted out water and churned. Looked like a geyser under the sea. If anyone knows what this is, please share! Have to remember to have the camera ready for the flight home.

Met up with 4 students prior to customs. One was retained very briefly as they asked for confirmation of her itinerary. After little discourse, she was let through without it.

Our group driver brought us to our respective "homes". Spent the day settling in with a lot of support, driving around for supplies, and an orientation meeting with our host Connect123. Blue Dot delivered my rental car right on time. My flat at Adderley Terraces is awesome. Love it. Followed Steven, our Connect123 host, to students' lodging and followed him back to mall/grocery near my flat. Driving on the left side of the road, with the driver's seat on the right side of the car. Replace left and right with wrong and wrong and you get the idea. Add to that the grocery was IN the mall; would have never discovered that on my own. Then, my first experience driving without Steven. Successful. My flat is at the top of an office building downtown. Directions include circling about one way streets to get to the garage entrance, then enter the garage, and turn left 38 TIMES! Yes, 38 times to get to my parking spot.

Went out to explore a bit, and there is some kind of military parade outside. Cautiously snapped some shots. Photos that is. Then slept until my jet-lagged son woke me up at 3 am.