Been in South Africa for about 2 and 1/2 days so far. I would have posted sooner but the trip from Delhi to here was too long…
From leaving Delhi to arriving in Capetown took about 32 hours and I was really exhausted after staying up all night to work with the Boyz in India. I have not been that tired and unable to sleep for quite some time.
Luckily enough, My friend Eileen is doing her Doctorate at the University of Capetown and letting me crash at her place while I am in town. She is studying baboon skulls and the size of them or something like that.
I arrived on Friday night local time and was planning on doing some surfing with Eileen and her fellow grad student buddies - but on Saturday - some kid got munched by a great white shark. Front page news and has got people a bit scared despite that only 9 people have been killed by a shark here in the last 20 years.
Supposedly the waters have been closed while helicopters do fly overs to check the waters for more of them. Tourism folks are worried as the busy season is coming and this type of thing really scares people off.
The Weather has been lovely 15 to 20 degrees celcius during the day with loads of sun. I reckon there is no ozone over South Africa - when I am outside the sun feels like it is toasting my skin. Reminds me a bit of Australia and how the sun feels there - Growing up in Chicago, the sun always felt good in the summer, the sun alwayz felt healing and like the vitamins (is it A or E) was absorbing into my skin.
Oz and SA when you are outside:
Slap on sunscreen and cover up with wide brimmed hats - long sleeves etc. OR else you’ll end up with leather ears, face and neck.
Gonna be here for the next 2 weeks or so - A few things I got planned:
1) Wine Country - evaluating the destinations and wine of SA. Supposedly they are know for some wine called Pinotage. Some sorta grape that is unique to South Africa. Dr. Rebecca Ackermann, Eileen’s Doctorate guide, said that Pinotage is the best in SA and it is possible to bring multiple cases of it back to the states. So I reckon I am gonna try and bring back as many cases as possible for personal consumption.
Anyone care to join me for a bottle on return?
2) Going to see some wildlife somehow (Already saw Baboon yesterday at Cape Point - pictures coming soon)
3) Work out: Working out and staying in shape when I am on the road has not always been easy. I got a short term membership at Virgin workout place. So far I have gone twice to try and shake off the jet lag and lack of exercise the past few weeks
4) Please let me know if you have any suggestions on what you wanna hear about - I’ll do my best to give my take.
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“She is studying baboon skulls and the size of them or something like that.”
How do you measure up?
Watch out for those sharks!!!
As for the wine..my husband & I spent 3 weeks in South Africa in May/June and consumed way more than should be humanly possible! Amazing and inexpensive. The Pinotage was excellent..the locals seem to prefer the mixed grapes rather than a straight Cab or Merlot. Hope you have more success shipping it home than we did..although the average bottle only cost about $6 USD we were repeatedly quoted $400-500 USD and up to ship a case home! If you succed for less PLEASE let us know how you did it. Either way we’d love to get together here at home (PDX) upon your return and sample with you! We’re having a tough time finding it here except the occasional bottle at Cost Plus or Zupans.
We spent a few days at Kruger Park and a private reserve (Sabi Sabi) and had some amazing wildlife experiences but I believe there is a reserve right outside of Cape Town..we saw a zebra and some impala off the side of the road on our way in from the airport & that’s what we were told.
Have a great time and hope to see you when you get back!
R.
Pinotage….Mmmmm. Better have a good story about sipping great S. African wine. I get customers asking about Pinotage and I have no idea what to tell them. I’ll need to get all our research on this varietal.
And about sharks. Save your toes for the big boys back home. If you want a great white, I can find you one. Mmmmm, sean snacks for big mean sharks.
Go ducks!
I’d love to partake of whatever free alcohol you provide.
The water is cold in SA and I reckon Kuta Beach is a far easier place to learn to surf.
Enjoy the wine, I would if I was there.
Would be great to see you with some of Cape Town’s scenery in the background.
Business sharks sound more manageable than this shark, but the amount of blood lost in both can be equally life threatening.
Joe, I am also interested in how Sean’s skull measures with a baboon’s. Thanks for the good laugh.
I thought of Dewey when I read about Pinotage, and there was his message. Will join you, Sean, for a taste or two or three….
Interested in whatever you observe with your eyes and mind.
You be careful with the surfing big fella, only 9 people have been killed in the last 20 years, but from that report it looks like plenty get attacked.
Maybe shark ‘expert’ Theo Ferreira should spend more time in the water.