Hoppin' and Poppin'

7:00 a.m. and “The Best Day of My Life” by the American Authors. This is what I woke up to my second day in the beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. My goal was to quickly arise from my bed ready to take on the events that were going to unfold throughout the day. Sadly, my motivation was completely lacking. The “snooze” button became my best friend which caused me to be ten minutes late to the tentative time set by my adviser that morning. Obviously, my sleep deprivation was still at the maximum level. Yet, this didn’t matter to me because what was about to happen changed my entire mood.

We boarded the van that took us to the Cape Town Waterfront, a harbor in downtown Cape Town. It was there where we purchased our tickets for the City Sightseeing Company. My thoughts were racing because we had so many places to visit throughout the day and I was worried that my camera couldn’t withstand the same excitement that I was experiencing. My new camera was finally going to be put to the real test. The vibrant red, double-decker bus arrived ready to take us on our journey through the lovely Cape Town. My seven other companions and I, along with a graduate student group from Mizzou, made our way to the top of the double-decker bus in order to get the full scenery of our sightseeing adventure.

We made our way through downtown Cape Town, listening closely to the tour guide through the listening devices that each seat had; a rather handy invention. We passed several tall buildings and went down many narrow streets, contrary to popular belief of my family who assumed I would be residing in huts and taking baths in murky lake water. We then began a trek along the side of the famous Table Mountain of South Africa. Unfortunately, the fog and low-hanging clouds covered the majority of the mountain making it rather difficult to see. We quickly approached Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, our first stop in our sightseeing adventure. As we entered the park, the first thing our little eyes discovered was a road-crossing sign. Located on it was the state of New York AND MISSOURI with the distance (in kilometers) from the spot in which we were standing in. Who knew that Missouri had a rightful place in Cape Town? We trekked onward. The view was absolutely spectacular, one that simply cannot be put into words. We saw a wide range of vegetation and wildlife. From tropical flowers and a tree canopy bridge walk to wild ducks and guineas, the park had it all. We even stopped for a group picture in the Enchanted Forest!

We boarded the double-decker bus once again ready to see what was waiting for us at our next stop, Groot Constantia Wine Estate. The majority of my companions were thrilled for this stop, simply for the wine tasting. I, however, was more interested in the stunning scenery we were once again endowed with. I enjoyed touring the vineyard and of course tasting the many different wines the vineyard had to offer but the most memorable part of this stop was the interruption we had by an unfamiliar creature. He walked on all fours with his head and buttox held high. He was confident in his strides showing no fear from the many perpetrators (the tourists including myself) of his territory. This unfamiliar creature who put fear into my eyes was a ferocious baboon. He was on a mission to find the glorious smell that haunted his nose; the trash! It was highly entertaining to see him rip through the bag tossing all unwanted particles throughout the parking lot. This was by far the highlight of this stop!

The double-decker bus once again arrived to take us to our last destination, the township of Imizamo Yethu. I wanted to compose a separate post for this particular stop because I think my time here deserves a post of its own. So above you will find my thoughts, my feelings, and my pictures from the township. This site finally gave me the realization that I wasn’t in Missouri anymore.

Day two in South Africa quickly drew to a close. I felt so overwhelmed but privileged that I was able to experience so much of Cape Town in such a little amount of time. Today made me realize how excited I am for what is in store for us Mizzou students. We have so much to see and so much work to do. However, I am ready to take on the challenges of what lies ahead. Bring it on, Cape Town!