The year 2010 was a year of self-discovery for me. Part of my Master Degree required me interning abroad. I got an internship with an environmental group in Honduras. Very exciting work, but sadly I got Tropical Fewer and could not shake it off again. After a 1.5 month of being sick, several Doctors recommended me to leave the continent. Being a Dane whose used to crappy weather 8 months of the year had shown that the Tropic were just to harsh on me in my condition. And the fact that people were a little bit too tricker happy with the guns there were also good indicators to leave.
Instead of going home, (which would have put me very much behind with my studies, I decided to risk it and find another internship) my wanderlust gene kicked in and I travelled quite a bit for the right internship and by sheer luck (and help from the brilliant Melanie at Connect123) ended up in South Africa. I managed to get an internship with a regional NGO, know as the Democracy Development Program (DDP), right in the middle of Cape Town.
I traveled from La Ceiba-San Pedro Sula, San Pedro Sula-Miami, Miami-London and then London-Cape Town...60 hours of direct traveling....But I finally made it across the world....and then slept for a week!
Having never been to Africa before, I had no idea what to expect when I stepped off the plane...But when the sun light hit my face along with a nice cool breeze, I knew I had made the right choice.
The internship was interesting enough though but it was the city, the nature that surrounded it and the local people I met there that made the entire experience worthy.
The South Africa that we know today is a very young country, but it is developing rapidly and evolving so fast. It was quite fascinating to see the contrast between the rural areas where many poor people lived in Townships and the highly developed areas like the Western cape that looked very much like any Western cosmopolitan city. I happened to live in the western Cape and shared an apartment with two other girls. Although the rent was ridiculous high, our view made it all worth it!
Our Beautiful view of the famous Table Mountain from our apartment on the 11th. floor.
There is a myth to this mountain that tells the story of Captain Van Hunks who lived in the shadows of Table Mountain. For many years he had sailed the seven seas, but now he was old and loved nothing more than taking a walk up the beautiful slopes of the mountain. He would walk up to his favourite spot, under an ancient tree at the top of the mountain. Once there he would settle himself on a large rock, take out his old pipe, light it, lean back against the trunk of the tree and gaze down at the beauty of Table Bay below him. Van Hunks loved the peacefulness of this place – nobody else ever came this high up the mountain.
One day, as Van Hunks walked the last few paces towards his usual position, he was startled to see someone else sitting exactly where he normally sat. It was a strange looking man, dressed all in black, with a large hat pulled down over most of his face.
Van Hunks was even more astonished when the man greeted him by his name. However, not wishing to appear impolite, he sat down next to him and they began to talk. Van Hunks started boasting about his tobacco and the fact that he was the only man who could smoke as much of it as he did. The other man replied that he could easily smoke as much as Van Hunks. Van Hunks was angry at this and challenged the man to a smoking contest. He placed a huge pile of his tobacco between the two of them and they filled their pipes and lit them.
All day the two men sat, smoking the whole time and the clouds of smoke around them grew and grew. People down below looked up and marvelled at the huge clouds of smoke that had started billowing around the Table Mountain. As the day progressed the clouds grew bigger and bigger until the whole top of the mountain was covered.
Van Hunks was growing tired and hot and he noticed that the man with him was not looking too happy himself. But still they continued to smoke. Then suddenly the man leaned forward, unable to continue and his hat fell off revealing who he really was. Van Hunks staggered back in fright.….. it was the devil himself! He realised what he had achieved – he had beaten the devil in the contest. But the devil was not pleased at being beaten by a human and in an instant, with a loud clap of thunder, both men vanished in a puff of smoke.
The legend goes that, when the south-easter wind blows and the cloud covers the mountain, Van Hunks and the Devil are smoking again.
Another view from our apartment.
We were quite privileged in that way. :)
I was lucky in the sense that I only had to work from 8-12 and then I had the entire afternoon, evening and night off, so I had plenty of time to explore the city and find all its secrets!
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I felt as though I had found the Garden of Eden in Cape Town, and I loved how I found so many things I would have taken for grated back home...
For example; I love books...And I adore book stores....but I do not usually spend that much time in them...until I came to Cape Town and met my Soul Mate Store known as The Book Lounge.
A small bookstore at the corner of the street I lived on (Roeland St.), which had so many different books in every single genre. I was in heaven! I came into that store at least three times a week just to check out the latest bash of new books! Once or twice a week the store would have arrangements where an author or a politician or someone famous at something would come and have a lecture about their book.
I think I attended around 15 of these arrangements in my months there...I learned so many interesting things about so many different subject that I never knew anything about. I kinda miss such arrangements here in DK. I haven't come across any events like those, in DK.
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Another little treasure I came across was this little shop where I bought my lunch almost every day.
The small cafe 'Bread, Milk & Honey' on Spin St. is a family owned business with absolutely brilliant food. They had everything from a variety of homemade sandwiches to hot, homemade stews to a mean shepard's pie to delicious Cheesecakes or Carrot cakes. They simply had everything the heart could possible desire of food during daytime. Indulgence is a most here! Although you might have to walk there. Getting a parking space on Spin St. is like experiencing snow in Hell....not gonna happen anytime soon. But thats okay...if you overindulge, you know you're gonna walk it off anyways.
This little spot is opened during the week and serve breakfast, lunch and tea.
My biggest problem there was always whether or not I deserved to have a slice of cake as well as lunch.
You just can't help yourself! They're so good! Indulgence really is a must here!
Furthermore, this fine little establishment know their coffee blends and their tea blends...
They really do pride themselves in their involvement in Relationship coffee where the path of the bean can be traced from tree to cup....and it really shows in each and every cup...even to a I-rarely-drink-coffee- drinker like me. :)
Please check this place out if you're ever near Spin St. in Cape town.
Bread, milk & Honey can be found at 10. Spin St., Western Cape, Cape Town 8000.
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Thats all for this blog entry, but I will continue to share all my little wonders and treasures I found in the lovely Cape Town soon.
-Wanderlustaddiction
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