Friday, January 27, 2012

My 'to-read' List

As I travel the world, I bump into lovely people, and these lovely people share their list of readings which they feel is worth a read. I thought I would make a list for me to try and keep an inventory of the books I have on the go, or needing to get started on them.

It's hard to keep everything in my brain these days.

*(current) The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi by Elif Shafak (Vafa suggested this to me way back in Dec 2011. I hope to get to this after my book club novel)

(done) The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obright

Bryce Courtenay is a well known author down under, but he has written some amazing books. I started reading April Fool's Day, but Dan has suggested I read The Power of One. It is about a boy in South Africa in the 1980s I believe.

(done) While I lived in South Africa, I picked up a very short and funny read called The 'racist' Guide to the people of South Africa by Simon Kilkpatric. He dared to write down the different groups of people who inhabit South Africa today, and I dared to purchase it and read it in public while traveling on planes. As an immigrant myself, I definitely enjoyed the read, and people dared to ask me if they can borrow it just for a little check. It was a fun experience. It's a book I keep on offering for people to read in hopes to get humor into the mix. It's ok to discuss :-)

(done) The Right to Write by Julia Cameron has also been a hit. Only started reading last week. It was a gift from Christmas 2010, but since I am trying to start some novel writing, it has come in handy and have addressed some of my fears thus far.

I also happen to find a book at my granny's place which I have heard a lot about but never had the chance to read it. Since I am still pretty good with my Hungarian, I started reading this book called Legy Jo Mindhalalig by Moric Zsigmond but I have put this one on hold due to the book club reading which due in two weeks. The title basically translates to "Be Good Till Death Comes".


Persuasion by Jane Austin

The Last Single Woman in America by Cindy Guidry

This Child Will Be Great by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

*(current reading)Life of Pi by Yann Martel

I will keep this as an open post, to allow addition to the list.

Suggestions are ALWAYS WELCOME !!!

R :-)



Friday, January 20, 2012

The media's manipulative influence over your morals



"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any" -Alice Walker

This video truly describes the 21st century, but really all centuries till this day which, thrives on the female figure as a medium for selling goods. However, myself and the creator of this video like to explain that males are just as much of a target by the media/corporate groups. Boys and males are also told how to behave and look in order to fit into an acceptable standards created within 'society'. there is a big BUT...

The point of the movie isn't to choose a gender and protect it. It is to show you that media, and the large corporate companies TELL YOU what MORALS ARE accepted. Are we ready to accept this ? You be the judge.






Please share your opinions on here. This is an open page for us to debate morals acceptable for the 21st century. I am willing and interested to hear your thoughts on this matter, but only when we speak about these issues, we will realize what matters to us as people, and not as corporations within the media/fashion, and other superficial business. (Let's remember, accessories are not who we are.)

Thanks for your time !
R :-)










Sunday, January 15, 2012

Mini-taxis in Cape Town are never full !

Mini-taxis are officially considered as part of the public transport system in Cape Town and surrounding area, but if something were to happen to you or anyone else while riding in one, it is hard to say if insurance would cover you. But boy did I love the rides for an entire 6months!!!

Ok, let me start by introducing to you a mini-taxi. It is far from a small taxi. I have trouble knowing why they are called 'mini' when it is generally a >=13 seater microbus (which are never full). So, I guess I just answered my own question, as micro and mini can mean the same thing. However, once you are calling something a taxi you think of the yellow cabs similar to the ones you see in movies on the streets of New York city. However, mini-taxis in Cape Town, at least the majority of them, come in white or dirty-white colours. Some, I must admit, come in a colours which makes me think of ice cream, but why not make life more colourful ! They come in varying colours and music. Oh, the music! I just about forgot to tell you about the music. Besides having people sit on you in places you never thought people can sit, there is this music that I, again swear by this, wakes you up in the mornings better than 4 cups of straight black coffee (drank simultaneously). People, I am not joking here. (So far, I have covered the seating, the music, the outter and inner set up of a mini-taxi)

These mini-taxis only cost you 5R -10R at most, which is about 0.5-1.5$ CAD but it sure provides you with a kind of surprise 'Kinder' is lacking, thrills even if you didn't ask for, and loud music creating a party atmosphere which is technically on a bus. All this at 8am on my way to work, for about 6 months and boy, have I gone through a caffeine detox.

Regardless of the lack of safety and comfort, riding the mini-taxi came with perks: huge savings on $$ on a weekly basis, learning to share came with a whole new set of meanings, AND I have also brushed up on my math skills. But in all seriousness, to ride the mini-taxi it also gave me a better sense of the South African people, mostly of the people who live in Cape Town. It was truly a pleasure to see kindness come out in people when mothers needed help with getting their babies or/and groceries on/off the taxi. When it came to getting your change back from the counter, others beside you would make sure short-changing never occured. And if it did, the counter would apologize and never question you. In my 6 months there, I only remember one incidence with short-changing someone and really, there was no need for hostility. I still make calculation errors in basic math.

Overall, it was a humbling experience. At times, I would purposefully make eye contact, with others sitting in a crammed bus to see if they too felt as if we were being treated like sardines. And guess what, they felt with me. If some of us where standing, or sitting on other people, all would speak out and frown on the driver. If someone needed to get off in the back, the front would take care of them and stop the driver. At anytime, I felt safe knowing that people would speak up for me. Collecting moneys from everyone became second nature as I never felt like someone would steal from me, nor anyone else. Inside the mini-taxi, we were the group, and we would take care of each other for the ride.

There was just one special day, a regular rush hour in a crammed mini-taxi (sign in the bus says maximum passengers 16, I counted 24 so I felt the need to text Dan about it) a woman summed up the kind of driving most mini-taxis deliver: "Driver, I rather be late for my appointment than arrive early to heaven!" And that is what I lived with for majority of my public commute.

As if I am explaining the most contradictory story to you. The unattractive mini-taxi, with an unattractive environment, with lack of safety, urging me to take up praying again. However, the kindness and genuineness of the passengers, and honesty of the counter, and an atmosphere most people pay big bucks for: party on a bus of course !

Oh, but how do you find these mini-taxis. Forgot one more important information. You don't ! They find you :-) There is honking every second or so on main streets and a little less on smaller places. However, when the taxi spots you, even if you have made an angry and irritated looking eye contact, the driver will honk at you a few times, and then the counter (also the guy who hangs out the side window calling for people) will yell at you to come and ride with them. It's like music on the streets. Listening to honking for 6 months, I almost miss the music the collectors and the honking combined makes.

"Seapoint, seapoint, seapoint ! HONK HONK HONK"

"Mowbray, Clairmont, Wynberg! HONK HONK HONK"

"Pyelviol" HONK HONK HONK




Mini-taxis carrying larger than life experiences.
R :-)







(all 3 pictures were found via Google images)

Saturday, January 14, 2012

One page a day


On this day, I had the funniest conversation with a dear friend of mine who is also a writing whiz in a way. Her and I were discussing how almost 2 years ago I kept promising that I will in fact 'write a book someday'. This day is seemingly farther than I anticipated 2 years ago.

So as we were discussing writing, I told Lacey about a TED talk where a guy introduced the idea of fast novel writing. I told Lacey, "This guy said: if you write every day, 30pages a day, you could complete a novel in a [very short amount of time] (I happen to forget the exact words, but I believe it was a few months)". We were both amazed at this idea, and thought gosh, if I just had the persistence to do something like this. The man in the TED video did warn us that his novel isn't anything earth shattering, however, it is a novel,a completed novel.

I have the outline, the ideas, thoughts and everything else written down. I feel ready. I just have to start. Anticipation has been building and I'm feeling worried that I don't know what I am doing. To ease my mental resistance, I am currently reading a book by Julia Cameron, The Right to Write (a Christmas present from Erin and Marcus, 2010, which I have left behind but now seemingly good idea to read). Boy, I was right! So far she has pointed out all the myths of writing and being to write, and what it truly means to be a write. To write do so regardless of judgement. Just do it and love what you do. And only you. It's not about being good for others.

As Lacey and I are discussing my dilemma further, and I am done explaining this amazing TED, she then gently replies with something never occurred to me till our chat. "You know, even if you only wrote a page a day, there would be a 365 page book ready in a year." I stopped, as if there was something earth shattering news being shared here. Why haven't I thought about this ? Gosh, it was so simple and inviting. Thanks to my dear friend, instead of wishing I could write a fast novel, I'm just aiming to have a page done each day. I think she too was told by someone else to try this method for writing, but I cannot remember exactly. She suggested something I am going to try this year.

As I am writing this post, it is Jan 21st and I have not attempted Lacey's suggestion (back in Jan 14th). It's funny how anticipating something doesn't actually help the writing process. Reading Julia, she's done a great job explaining some of the mental limitations which I too am currently experiencing. For now, I will fill up my head with her encouraging words, and then, I will begin.

Nagyi, my grandmother has been wonderful to have me over to her place during the holiday season. My head and my outline is filled with stories which I have captured during my visit with her. I believe my 2011 visit has been the only one with a laptop. Funny how I am aware of the changes which occur each time I visit my granny. I guess, it's much easier to keep tract of your actions when you arrive to a place which you have visited all your life since the age of 5. Visiting Granny has become like my measuring stick. While I am sitting with her and talking about life, it truly gives me an insight into what I have accomplished thus far, and where I am possibly going next.

The craziest thing for me is Granny's stories. As the years go by, I realize that I am growing and maturing through Gran's stories. She elaborates on her stories based on my age. I have noticed a transformation in her story telling. I remember back to the earlier stories she used to tell me about her childhood when I too was a child. But at this last visit, she was very open and comfortable with me to learn about her married life, her family life and the struggles which it brought with them. It did take me back just a little, as I had to process all of this, all of the transformation. I am now ready to digest both past and current stories and in the process I also feel ready to jot them down in chronological order.

Exciting times. First I finish Julia's book, and I openly promise to writing a page a day (if more happens to flow out of me, I will not resist to keep on writing).

Good luck to all your own writing, if in case you too are having some road blocks along the way.

R :-)

Dan and Renata (DnR) visit a few cities in Canada - April 2011

DnR was an idea which Dan came up with during out travels in South Africa. DnR in the medical field actually means Do Not Resuscitate however, I have been using the abbreviation to represent Dan and Renata's travel adventures.

Dan was booked up with travel plans for all of 2011 however, he was able to squeeze in a quick visit to Canada in April, and spend some time with me. In 3 weeks we managed to cover a few of my favourite places and those which Dan had planned to see. We had to stick to locations close to home because I had to attend a pre-departure seminar for my internship in South Africa. We had a schedule where we used our free time to travel, then I worked in Ottawa for 3 days, then we traveled some more. Here are the places we covered in that time.

Toronto
Dan's arrival was probably the most hectic arrivals I have ever experienced. I was in the process of organizing my visa application papers for South Africa where I would be starting an internship early May. Dan was also coming to visit me before my departure so naturally everything was happening all at once. I enjoy the pressures of planning so I was sure that everything will get done on time. Until Dan's plane got delayed in LA, I believe the reasons were weather related. Instead of arriving Monday night, I had to pick him up Tuesday at 9am.

I already planned to go Tuesday and drop of my paper work before picking Dan up. I was going to take transit from downtown Toronto to the SA consulate, 45 min via car ride. The only reason I know this is because I ended up renting a car at 8am when I realized how complex it would have been to do this trip via TTC. Flustered, and driving, I already knew that 30-60min delay will occur and Dan will have to wait at the airport. Not being successful with the paper work, I left the consulate office at 9ish driving to the airport with a little rage, until I heard the news on the radio. A transport truck exploded on the 401. Hearing this made me break out into tears and hating life a little more now. I not only missed my opportunity to get my SA visa application submitted, but I have left Dan stranded at the airport. Once at the airport, hoping that he has found some distraction, Dan was sitting completely alone at an international airport. After much apologizing, he understood the circumstances. He kept smiling as he was over joyed to see me, flustered and all. We were quickly back on the road trying to get my paper work submitted to the consulate. We too failed again, and had to spend the next day trying but this time with success.

We met with some friends for dinner and enjoyed the night in Toronto. We were back at the airport nice and early ready to fly the next day as we were off to Quebec city. Massive snow dump the they we were flying, and neither of us were prepared for snow as it was April at this time. Ready or not, we were excited to see Quebec city.

















Flying to Quebec city
At this point we had no idea how much snow to expect. I prepared Dan for a cool spring weather, and told him that it's been dry for a while now. Either way, the snow was fun for Dan to see as there was enough to build igloos :-)

We managed to find a cute place to rent across the rive in Levis (not the denim) and commuted into the city via the ferry each day. Old Quebec city is probably one of my favourite places to visit when the chance is there.


























































Montreal by train
Only 2 nights spent in Quebec city and then we were off to Montreal. We were lucky to meet up with some friends who were in the area and had a night out on the town. This trip was filled with delicious meals at each of our stop which is why our pictures are mostly of meals :-) Montreal Poutine, Hot Pot, and the Three Brewers (or Les 3 Brasseurs). On the train we enjoyed our own deli and fine foods, purchased before our departure.

Yum! There is one picture missing from this collection, and that is of Schwartz's restaurant in Montreal. Delicious smoked meat sandwiches at 2 am does hit the right spot ! Oh, and for dessert, Paris Crepe!






























































































Ottawa via another train
Renata works while Dan enjoys the days. It is over cast, but the snow has completely disappeared in Ottawa. I had to attend a pre-departure seminar before leaving to South Africa, but I wasn't worried leaving Dan to enjoy the city. I love Ottawa and if he found himself bored here, that would be a big surprise for me. The parliament (my other favourite place to visit, don't even mention the library), museums, shopping, market, I can go on and on. Sure enough, Dan had no trouble enjoying the city, I was the one wishing to be free and enjoying the activities with him. At night we did some wondering but mostly for dinner and then off to bed, so I was ready for 8 hour lectures the next day. I had to enjoy the city via Dan's pictures and stories, but I'm glad someone enjoyed it :-)
(on of these days I will get to see the Gov. library and the tower)


























































Guelph for a week
Last train ride was probably our longest, from Ottawa to Guelph. Here we spent a week visiting the city and surrounding attractions like Niagara falls. I had the chance to introduce Dan to some of my friends and again enjoy lovely dinners and lunches. I wonder if I gained much weight during these few weeks. But since I don't own a scale nor care about the force which I exert on this earth, I am not that interested. By this point, Dan has made good friends with poutines from each of the cities we visited, and of course Tim Horton's :-)











































Toronto before Dan's departure
Due to Dan's hectic arrival (and my paper work glitch) we did not get a chance to visit the CN-tower our first time in Toronto. But we did have a full day to enjoy before Dan's departure so we made sure that both the CN tower and the distillery district was covered on his final day.



































We had a wonderful 3 weeks together. Dan left to go back home to Brisbane and I boarded the plane a few days later to Cape Town, South Africa.

R :-)

Monday, January 2, 2012

A lesson on flying home at midnight - Nov 28, 2011

Flying from Cape Town to Toronto was just as event filled as any other departure I have had in the past. Never a dull moment when I am traveling from point A to point B. Two months before my departure my Mother warned me to make sure I check in on the 27th for a 28th midnight flight. I said to mom that I am confident I will manage the day I fly.

Far from the truth.

See, I have been caught up with the month of November and distracted by the cross-country traveling Dan and I completed. He was flying on the 27th in the morning, and I was flying the 28th. Or so I thought. Since my ticket was a midnight flight, really I should have checked in the same day as Dan was leaving Cape Town, only in the evening.

By the end of November, I was exhausted, I had to pack and leave a bunch of amazing people behind. I didn't want to leave just yet, experiencing the same mixed feelings I always do when leaving an amazing place. I felt confident in my departure. I had plans lined up for the day Dan was leaving. A friend had invited me to a US thanksgiving dinner as it was that time of the year. I offered him to help with the cooking once I returned from the airport, dropping Dan off.

The following day, this friend and I would go to frisbee which, would allow me to say good-bye to everyone I have met in the past 6 months. And then, a last bye from this same friend, would lead me to my departure time.

Wrong!

Arriving to the airport, it all became clear. The lady at the check-in desk was extremely polite and kind. "Excuse me Ma'am, but you were supposed to fly last night." "See your ticket is for 28th at 00:20 flight departure time."

I stood there in silence. My head filled with a head-cold which I also picked up just the night before. I felt awful, and I just wanted to be on a plane, today (Nov 28th).

me: "How can I get to Toronto today?"

The check-in lady directed me to the right place. The ladies at the air line counter looked for a seat on the plane that was leaving same time but a day later (Nov 29th midnight). Found a seat, only charged me for the extra weight of my luggage. I was allowed 2 bags even though the rules have changed to one. My new flight was, free. The ladies here stated, "This happens all the time with midnight flights".

me: (thinking) "Then why have midnight flights?" "Or why not warn people about the time difference?" - knowing very well at this point that 2 month ago a kind Mother, also my travel agent, did warn me to check-in a day early !!!

Oh well. Chaos under control. My parents of course did not get my voice mail I left for them at home, to warn them about my change in flights. They did manage to come both Monday and Tuesday to offer me a ride. Once I was at home I learnt about their struggle to figure out why their daughter yet again, not arriving at the expected time.

The moral of this story is a longer list:

-I let Dan depart and this gave me more time to pack
-I got to have thanksgiving dinner with dear friends
-I got to help in making a thanksgiving dinner (though extremely ill)
-I got to say good-bye to many people at once, on Monday
-and I got to fly at my convenience
-Mom and Dad got to work as a team and figure out why their daughter wasn't arriving at the expected time, giving them another memorable story to enjoy over Christmas holiday dinners
-I manged to keep my reputation of lack of planning but always managing :-)




I miss you Cape Town, and dear friends !

R :-)



DnR travel South Africa - Nov. 2-9, 2011

As mentioned in a previous blog, DNR in medical terms means Do Not Resuscitate, however this is a story about Daniel and Renata traveling through South Africa. This was Dan's second road trip with me and the only difference this time was that we were both visitors.


Cape Town has become my home for the past 6 months and sometimes I day-dream that it is still my home and I will return very soon. I fell in love with the city, the people, and once DnR traveled coast to coast, I fell in love with all of South Africa. Our travels only covered 3 of the 9 provinces: Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal, but with less than 2 weeks as our time frame, I was happy to have witnessed approximately 3500 km of culture, nature, and beauty. I will try to capture each of the provinces through pictures and detailed descriptions however, forgive me if I fall short of the real deal.

Cape Town and near by attractions

November 2-9, 2011

Dan arrived to Cape Town on a Wednesday, November 2, 2011, much less hectic than our first reunion in Canada. I was only *10 minutes late this time as I waited at Domestic and not International arrival gates. This time I made sure to be 2 hours early and greet Dan on time, so I blame those 10 minutes on local airport assistance for misguiding me.

*Note: I was at the airport at 8:30AM. By 10:30AM I have asked 4 airport attendants to kindly double check: “if Air Singapore has landed, and if so, which door would people come through?” You see, they all told me: Ma'am, if the plane has a layover in Johannesburg, then he will come through the domestic arrivals doors." At 11:10AM I receive a text from Dan to tell me at he's waiting at the international arrival gates. I was off, running across the airport.

I had our first week planned to the max with activities within the city and surrounding areas. I was still in the midst of finishing my internship so we had to juggle work and play. My last day of work was Monday the following week, so we had the weekend to discover Cape Town and surrounding areas before starting our road trip on Nov 10th. There was a long list of adventures to cover in all of South Africa and I didn't want to leave any later than the 10th.

We spent the rest of the day unwinding, and introducing Dan to my apartment which he has only witnessed via skype. There was a general consensus by everyone who spoke with me through skype that my apartment looked as if I lived in an institution of some sort. Walls, furniture, sheets, kitchen stuff, all was white. Towels too. It was nice for him to finally see where I was hiding out for the past 6 months. And to say the least, I had fallen in love with everything else that was outside my apartment anyways :-)


Thursday, November 3 2011
I was lucky enough to find 50% off on helicopter tickets, and what better way to introduce Cape Town than from above. There is so much to show all at once, downtown, beaches, cliffs, markets, where would I even begin? So I really thought this was more strategic for us. By showing Dan what is out there from above, he can priorities on what to see as our time was limited.

To save our feet for later hikes and mountain climbing, I suggested we take the City Sightseeing bus. Again, this would give us an overview of Cape Town, and allow us to select places of interest. Of course, the wine tour at Constentia ended up consuming majority of our day. I still feel that we managed to cover majority of the city. We ended the day with dinner at my favourite Ethiopian place (suggested by a colleague and since then I have adopted as my regular spot). One of the chefs there loves to spoil me, just a light hesitation with the menu and the next thing we see is our table filled with wonderful Ethiopian, Congolese, and Kenyan dishes. With Dan we had about 6 dishes, all finger licking, since you consume them with your hands. But calling them delicious is an understatement. YUM!

Stuffed and satisfied, we stopped by my friends at the Green Elephant backpackers. There, a dear friend helped us figure out car rental. We were ready for a weekend road trip. Manual AND driving on the left, should be interesting (Dan's fine with it as his from a backwards country himself).



















































Friday, November 4, 2011

After Dan's delicious breaky, we picked up our rental car and drover over to a friend's place. Heidi and Mona were hanging out and together we decided we needed some food; off to Indian Bazar ! Bunny chow and peshwari, yum !
Having breaky and lunch back to back, I suggested that Dan and I take a stroll on the promenade at Sea Point. There is a nice story told via art statues on Freedom and South Africa finding one another over a long and difficult time. Of course, shell searching was also part of enjoying the beach.
The evening was, you guessed it, dinner at my most favourite place in Cape Town. This place requires a 3 week advance on reservations. I booked our spot as soon as Dan purchased his plane tickets. Bombay Bicycle Club was wonderful and enjoyed it with most of my lady friends, and Mike joined us a little later. After some great wine, food, and friends, Dan and I decided to hit up a concert at Trinity (very cool night club, shockingly racist girls stood near us at the entrance). Heidi suggested for us to go to the concert, but I knew of the band before hand (also from Heidi). Locals to South Africa, and some of the 'sickest' beats I have ever heard in a long time. Techno, house, with a mix of wonderful instruments like the saxophone, flute, a rapper, and some powerful female vocals. GoldFish is the bad and I highly recommend a listen for everyone.



Saturday, November 5, 2011
We are headed to Cape Point today, but we made stops where necessary. We only stopped for pictures in Muizenberg because surfing wasn't on our schedule today. Instead, we strolled around Boulders beach and visited the penguins. From there we drove straight to Cape Point because there was a long hiking ahead of us. We visited the lighthouse, the edge of the cliff, and from a distance I pointed out to Dan where we played frisbee on my last visit. Cape of Good Hope is a popular tourist attraction, so we only took our picture and continued with our driving in order to make it to Chapman's peak before sunset.
At Cape Point is where I became brave enough to try driving manual with my left hand. Since the roads are perfectly paved, and traffic is minimal I decide it's time to practice before the big road trip ! Dan was patient and encouraging. Within a few minutes we were off to Chapman's peak and this time Renata was driving ! We stayed near Chapman's peak, and watched the sun setting over Hout bay. Once we reach Camps bay and Clifton beaches it was dark, but there were fireworks being shot up everywhere. I yet to find out what was being celebrated on November 5th. Nice end to our day.
Oh, but not so easy now. We ended up eating Steers for dinner (South African McDonald's) because I had to get some things done extremely last minute. Not so fun for Dan, but it is always nice to experience local fast food.

















































Sunday, November 6, 2011










We missed beach frisbee but definitely made it for brunch ! Food doesn't ever seemed to be missed by Dan and I. Two hours later we decide that it's now or never for hiking one of the 3 mountains. Lion's head supposed to be the smallest of the 3, so I vote to hike that. Took us about one hour hiking up and 45 minutes down. From there we drove to Table Mountain and voted to take the cable cart both ways. Especially since they had a sun-set special for taking the cable cart. We ran around the top, trying to see everything before darkness took over. This night for dinner I ended up making red curry.


























Monday, Nov 7, 2011
Today is my last day at the uni, and though I'm excited to see everyone I really don't want this internship to end just yet. I enjoyed working with my team and we are still in the process of getting things published. It was nice to have Dan with me and introduce him to people at UWC. We ended up staying for lunch and discussed some of our upcoming travel plans. After some gift exchange we said our good-byes and I still wasn't really ready to leave everyone but we drove away. We picked up Heidi and went to Camps bay to easy our seafood cravings and distract me from the day.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011
I had to get everything packed and cleaned up before tomorrow's apt inspection and key hand over. I had to get rid of extras and wanted Vafa to look through everything before giving away to a second hand store. Since Mona was over, we drove her to Heidi's and met John there for a last good-bye. He really wanted to meet up with Dan and I in J'burg, but unfortunately our busy schedule would not allow time for that. I took most of my stuff to Heidi's so the next day the apt would be clean and empty. Last dinner in Cape Town was at my regular place, Coco Wah Wah's with Alan and his roommate, plus a friend. Good-byes that go on for an entire week, suck so much !


Wednesday, November 9, 2011
It's finally CRICKET day, a surprise to Dan who also happened to be super sick on this day. Bummer! After the apt hand over and final good-byes from people there, and James and Jamie, we were off to the cricket at Newlands Cricket Ground. Here we meet up with one friend, Jason, to enjoy the game. My first cricket match ever, beautiful view of Devil's peak behind the cricket ground. I enjoyed the day, both sunny and windy, but Dan is not having a good time. Once he takes matters into his own hands, and after a few minutes to himself on the loo, he comes out much more alive. After the game we met up with Dan's friend for a few drinks.























One more sleep till our South African road trip !!!!
R :-)