HAPPY HOLIDAYS – it’s Human Right’s Day in S. Africa, so our overland journey began with a few important things closed – the money exchange bureaus and wineries! J
As we would soon find out… “It’s not a holiday, it’s an adventure!” – and we were stoked!
Just before I jumped on board “Mike” (our Overland Truck) with my 11 new friends, I made a quick visit to the café on the other corner to grab a cuppa jo. I love that when you make a jaunt into a full-out coffee bar in Cape Town in the early morning, you are greeted by the exuberant energy of young smiling African gents, who are ready to sing you a song! (and they do at Vida e Café)… this particular morning I had the guys laughing – I was so stoked to meet others that were so bright and cheery in the morning… I also had my 1st experience tasting a Cheese & Chutney muffin – very popular mix ‘round here! (and rather delicious, I must say!)
If you can imagine the clanking and scraping of the metal pieces, amidst the early morning calm of Green Market Square – in Cape Town – as the market vendors work rather quickly to reconstruct their ‘shop’ for the day. As I was the first to arrive at Nomad’s office, I stood and watched in amazement – in disbelief of this daily ritual… seems far more complicated than assembling and disassembling a tent daily! We’ll see… 20 days from now!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Ideallic views of Table Mtn+ - Lion's Head Peak
After climbing Table Mountain w/2 friends back in late July (and taking the photo of Lion's Head that you see,) I wanted so terribly to climb Lion's Head & Devil's Peak as well. Today, I was able to enjoy a beautiful hike with 2 new friends from Germany... everything about it was 'perfect' -- the weather was spectacular, the hike challenge and length seemed like a breeze, and we made new friends along the way! The views of Table Mtn, and the extending range that travels south from it, were simply the best! Clifton sat below us with turqouise & sea green clear waters near the shore, along with a shine to its entire community below the glowing sun. Signal Hill, the waterfront, Robbens Island and Sand Dunes were even seen far off in the distance.
I was so stoked to be back by 11:30 am and have the whole day ahead to prepare for my Overland Journey ...so much time that I FINALLY decided to get a few inches chopped off my hair... one of my friends referred me to a very swank place in Cape Town and I had a fantastic haircut & conversation with Angie (my stylist)... I'm now ready to.... well, camp! :) My hair seems so short to me (even though it's still well below the middle of my back)...
So now it's Devil's Peak (& another haircut) scheduled for my 3rd visit to Cape Town... whenever that may be!!!!!!!
Monday, March 19, 2007
The Red Glow of Sunrise - Cape Town, S. Africa
Upon arriving into Cape Town, the sun was just beginning to rise up from behind the mountains -- offering an indescribable red glow as the back drop. Perfect blue skies -- no cloud to be seen (very rare for Cape Town!)
Jumped in a shuttle to Green Point and managed to catch an hour of zzz's as we sat in the rush-hour traffic at turtle pace. Arriving back at Big Blue was exciting, as my friend Karen was at the desk when I walked in! Shocked her -- for sure! After settling up on settling in (interesting way to phrase it!)... I walked down to my fave organic coffee cafe for a chill on their outdoor patio -- a very different experience from previous visits, as it's WARM here now! LOVE SUMMER!
Film crews were spread throughout the city filming various things... not sure what, but I seemed to cross paths with them everywhere. I took a long meander into downtown Cape Town to find Allard - my friend I've been working with via e-mail for a month now... so we could FINALLY meet in person... I actually ended up walking myself into a spontaneous business meeting instead, as I happened to meet a manager at the 1st location I went to -- which was pretty groovy! Then I was able to make it over to these cool studio lofts to meet w/Allard -- I think we were both in disbelief we were actually hanging out in person. Their lounge made for a living-room style visit, which was s-weet!
I had to ditch the capris and switch to a tank top & shorts before heading to the waterfront to pick-up a smoothie and wrap to take to the beach... sat on a bench and did NOTHING... which led me back to the hostel for a shower and few hour nap, before getting up to start the writing/blogging/etc...
TOMORROW... Devil's Peak or Lion's Head awaits my hiking fancy!
Jumped in a shuttle to Green Point and managed to catch an hour of zzz's as we sat in the rush-hour traffic at turtle pace. Arriving back at Big Blue was exciting, as my friend Karen was at the desk when I walked in! Shocked her -- for sure! After settling up on settling in (interesting way to phrase it!)... I walked down to my fave organic coffee cafe for a chill on their outdoor patio -- a very different experience from previous visits, as it's WARM here now! LOVE SUMMER!
Film crews were spread throughout the city filming various things... not sure what, but I seemed to cross paths with them everywhere. I took a long meander into downtown Cape Town to find Allard - my friend I've been working with via e-mail for a month now... so we could FINALLY meet in person... I actually ended up walking myself into a spontaneous business meeting instead, as I happened to meet a manager at the 1st location I went to -- which was pretty groovy! Then I was able to make it over to these cool studio lofts to meet w/Allard -- I think we were both in disbelief we were actually hanging out in person. Their lounge made for a living-room style visit, which was s-weet!
I had to ditch the capris and switch to a tank top & shorts before heading to the waterfront to pick-up a smoothie and wrap to take to the beach... sat on a bench and did NOTHING... which led me back to the hostel for a shower and few hour nap, before getting up to start the writing/blogging/etc...
TOMORROW... Devil's Peak or Lion's Head awaits my hiking fancy!
Dallas - London - Cape Town ....Travel Tales
Since I was SO fortunate to get to spend a few hours straightening out all of my plane tickets at DFW a couple days before my initial flight back out of the country, it made my actual departure much simpler the day of travel. I had a nice lil’ glitch at the check-in kiosk that left me waiting for far too long, but it didn't phase me… I just stood around watching everybody in their frantic quest to go-go-go!
I arrived on the other side of the security kingdom with plenty of time to spare (the way I like it!) and was able to enjoy a little tex-mex at the Blue Mesa bar watching the final minutes of a March Madness basketball game… made for an exciting environment! (last taste of American life for a while!)... especially since it was Texas A&M making it into the Sweet 16
The flight to London was long on my legs (they tend to get restless with sitting – big surprise, I know) but great for finally catching up on some sleep – at the moments when I could get my neck comfortable! The reality of my world finally hit me upon the other side of the security gates at DFW… so tears now became something I was trying to fight back while in a crowded place. (Where are my mountains when I need them?!) I arrived in London, ironically, on their Mother’s Day… a holiday I was kind of not wanting to be faced with multiple times this year… made the best of it… took to some writing and watching little kids play in the airport… laughter is always a good thing.
I definitely think the IDIOT (yes, this person deserves this honorary title) who chose to try and bring bomb liquids on the plane in London a few hours after I departed back in August, has created a very unpleasant traveling experience for the rest of us at this stage. The London airport security process & rules are now twice as bad as the U.S. – if you can imagine that!!! They changed it so passengers are now only allowed 1 carry-on (thankfully my two items were small enough to creatively combine into one)… AND you have to take your laptop and toiletries out, BUT you’re not allowed to do this until you’re through the 1st part of the security ‘cattle call’! Oh, and multiple police officers are scattered throughout the airport (basically surrounding you) with machine guns strapped across their chest) – a shame to see this in London, of all places!
AND, the excitement grows… the shuttle driver AND two different airline agents all confirmed the WRONG terminal for my departure… so, 3 hours later, when I went to finally check my bags – oh, yes, you can’t check your big bag any earlier (more 'rules')… so EVERYONE is wandering around the airport with their luggage carts and trying to score seating in cafes to be able to see their bags!... I finally went to check my bag with an agent who informed me I had to transfer to Heathrow’s Terminal 4… this takes 1-hour – walk-lift-walk-train-walk-lift-walk… ai, yai! …luckily, once again, I had plenty of time to spare, so it allowed the experience to be entertaining. THEN (oh yes, there’s more), they never posted the gate for Cape Town, so I asked another agent once the flight time was within 1-hr, and made my way there… I was working on my computer and glanced behind me at one point to see a few travelers walking into the gate – THEY NEVER CALLED FOR BOARDING?! Thankfully I was paying attention, and took the liberty to board at this time. I have to say that I was FULLY entertained for what could have been a 'disastrous' experience had I been bothered by some of the challenges of the day!
The beautiful thing – My flight to Cape Town was basically empty! UNBELIEVABLE! I sat on a two-story plane, with a row of 3 seats just for me, and less than 10 people in my cabin… I was so shocked I asked the flight attendant what happened, she had no idea. She said that the flights are always packed full – which I am most certainly well aware of… so I soak in all of the extra space… had some wonderful sleep and a lot of time spent staring at the ceiling of the plane (why, I don’t know)… I’m certainly ready for traveling on foot into downtown, up a local peak, and along the coast, if I can make it happen!
I arrived on the other side of the security kingdom with plenty of time to spare (the way I like it!) and was able to enjoy a little tex-mex at the Blue Mesa bar watching the final minutes of a March Madness basketball game… made for an exciting environment! (last taste of American life for a while!)... especially since it was Texas A&M making it into the Sweet 16
The flight to London was long on my legs (they tend to get restless with sitting – big surprise, I know) but great for finally catching up on some sleep – at the moments when I could get my neck comfortable! The reality of my world finally hit me upon the other side of the security gates at DFW… so tears now became something I was trying to fight back while in a crowded place. (Where are my mountains when I need them?!) I arrived in London, ironically, on their Mother’s Day… a holiday I was kind of not wanting to be faced with multiple times this year… made the best of it… took to some writing and watching little kids play in the airport… laughter is always a good thing.
I definitely think the IDIOT (yes, this person deserves this honorary title) who chose to try and bring bomb liquids on the plane in London a few hours after I departed back in August, has created a very unpleasant traveling experience for the rest of us at this stage. The London airport security process & rules are now twice as bad as the U.S. – if you can imagine that!!! They changed it so passengers are now only allowed 1 carry-on (thankfully my two items were small enough to creatively combine into one)… AND you have to take your laptop and toiletries out, BUT you’re not allowed to do this until you’re through the 1st part of the security ‘cattle call’! Oh, and multiple police officers are scattered throughout the airport (basically surrounding you) with machine guns strapped across their chest) – a shame to see this in London, of all places!
AND, the excitement grows… the shuttle driver AND two different airline agents all confirmed the WRONG terminal for my departure… so, 3 hours later, when I went to finally check my bags – oh, yes, you can’t check your big bag any earlier (more 'rules')… so EVERYONE is wandering around the airport with their luggage carts and trying to score seating in cafes to be able to see their bags!... I finally went to check my bag with an agent who informed me I had to transfer to Heathrow’s Terminal 4… this takes 1-hour – walk-lift-walk-train-walk-lift-walk… ai, yai! …luckily, once again, I had plenty of time to spare, so it allowed the experience to be entertaining. THEN (oh yes, there’s more), they never posted the gate for Cape Town, so I asked another agent once the flight time was within 1-hr, and made my way there… I was working on my computer and glanced behind me at one point to see a few travelers walking into the gate – THEY NEVER CALLED FOR BOARDING?! Thankfully I was paying attention, and took the liberty to board at this time. I have to say that I was FULLY entertained for what could have been a 'disastrous' experience had I been bothered by some of the challenges of the day!
The beautiful thing – My flight to Cape Town was basically empty! UNBELIEVABLE! I sat on a two-story plane, with a row of 3 seats just for me, and less than 10 people in my cabin… I was so shocked I asked the flight attendant what happened, she had no idea. She said that the flights are always packed full – which I am most certainly well aware of… so I soak in all of the extra space… had some wonderful sleep and a lot of time spent staring at the ceiling of the plane (why, I don’t know)… I’m certainly ready for traveling on foot into downtown, up a local peak, and along the coast, if I can make it happen!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Wild Texas Round-up
Although I had been preparing for my international departure for nearly 8 weeks, I still managed to receive the lovely challenge of too many “last minute” items to tend to. I refer to my 3 ½ day Texas layover as a “round-up”, simply because I was rounding up friends, rounding up last minute items for my pack, rounding up all of my world tickets, rounding up all of my personal business items, and rounding up far too many activities to keep track of – it was a college-day style frenzy!... and a fabulous one! What could be better than continuing the no-sleep pattern and getting to go biking, trail-running, play a round of golf w/my dad, practice yoga w/my fave teacher/friend in Dallas, and share most every meal with my dear friends & fam! Somehow… and I am still trying to figure out exactly how I manage to do this… I was able to finish everything AND FIT EVERYTHING IN MY BACKPACK!!!!!! (this is a MIRACLE in itself!... 7+mos., 1 bag… no problem!....and it passes the 50lb weight restriction at 48+lbs)
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
CELEBRATE - Circle of Friends - "One More Day at the Beach"
Five beautiful days of sunshine and crystal white sand offered up some of the best morning beach yoga, walks, coffee house patio chillin’, kayaking to the mangroves along the intercoastal and with the wild gators along the Myakka River… and the beach celebration on Sunday, March 11th (2 months to the day) was simply wonderful – perfect weather, tons of friends – many of whom we (my sisters and I) hadn’t seen in close to 15 years… and topped off with the rhythm of the Siesta Key drum circle as the sun was setting later that same evening. The beach was so fabulous we managed to round up a small spontaneous gathering the following evening for a sand-happy sunset once again! It was pretty much a non-stop gathering for my entire visit… which only left me (and the rest of my friends) missing out on one thing – SLEEP!
Thursday, March 1, 2007
The Itinerary...
Of course a world trip wouldn't be complete without my yearly hop-skip-jump across the USA beforehand! :)
From TX in Jan, home to the 'dacks (Adirondack Mtns, NY,) before & after a fantastic week in Cali in Feb... onwards to Sarasota's Siesta Beach in FL (my hometown,) followed by a few more days in TX before returning to the international travel scene...
What awaits...
S. Africa - Botswana - Namibia - Zimbabwe
Hong Kong
Thailand
Bali
Australia: Darwin, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast
New Zealand
Chile
Ecuador
Brazil
...and possibly other locations -- depends where the wind blows!
You may want to bookmark this blog... an exciting year is ahead!
Namaste,
Kate
From TX in Jan, home to the 'dacks (Adirondack Mtns, NY,) before & after a fantastic week in Cali in Feb... onwards to Sarasota's Siesta Beach in FL (my hometown,) followed by a few more days in TX before returning to the international travel scene...
What awaits...
S. Africa - Botswana - Namibia - Zimbabwe
Hong Kong
Thailand
Bali
Australia: Darwin, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast
New Zealand
Chile
Ecuador
Brazil
...and possibly other locations -- depends where the wind blows!
You may want to bookmark this blog... an exciting year is ahead!
Namaste,
Kate
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