Full Moon Hike

I went and got my Yellow Fever vaccine on Tuesday, as well as anti-malaria tablets!  I am medically ready now for my African adventure that is only three weeks away.  I am counting down the days.

I moved in with Caroline this week.  I now share a room with her and an apartment with Liz and Devan.  It is very exciting to have a change of accommodation after living in the same apartment for the past four months.  The view is pretty much the same, however.  We see the neighboring apartment and if you look directly right, you see parliament and signal hill.  At least I have the amazing rooftop pool and braai area to get an incredible view of the city.

Saturday I attended a rugby match between the DHL Western Province and the MTN Golden Lions at Newlands Stadium.  It was cold, misting, and the stadium was not very crowded. This definitely subdued the crowd and made the atmosphere less exciting.  There were more Western Province fans around.  They were all carrying the same sign, but it was in Afrikaans so I have no idea what it said. I am assuming it was positive. 

The game opened with some very sub-par cheerleaders attempting to perform a routine.  They were never in sync, and it was pretty funny the entire time.  Every time they danced they ripped off an article of clothing (pants one time and skirts the next) so they were in their spandex only.  Also before the game started some men brought a couch out and set it behind the goal area where it remained for the duration of the game.  I think two reporters or officials had the privilege of sitting there.

The Lions won 22-9 over the WP.  By the end of the match we were sitting in the front row and had a very nice view.  Of course my rugby knowledge is very limited after my one experience back in June, so I had a hard time following parts of the game.

Vivian, my co-intern, left Sunday to go back to the UK.  It was sad to see her leave after spending the past four months working with her. We had a celebratory dinner Saturday night, out at Hudson’s Burger Joint.  I had never been before, but my burger was quite delicious.

Sunday was the full moon, and I finally embarked upon the sunset/moonrise hike that is popular in Cape Town.  We began our hike about 1 hour before the sunset up Lion’s Head.  Tons of people were out on the path, most with headlamps for the way down and wine to drink.  Unfortunately we did not pack any wine and did not get to drink while watching the sky.

At the top the sun was still above the horizon line on the Atlantic Ocean.  Clouds had formed beneath and made an incredible mystical scene.  It was so pretty and impressive to watch.  The pictures do not do it justice.  The clouds kept swirling up and engulfing Table Mountain completely before fading back and doing it all over again.

We started the hike down before the sun had fully set because we did not have headlamps to see the path down once it got completely dark.  Part of the way down, a girl noticed my red Husker sweater and told me that her parents were at the Wisconsin game Saturday.  It definitely made me smile to have a fellow football fan in Cape Town, even if it only was for a brief moment in passing.  Who would have thought I would meet a Husker hiking Lion’s Head?!?!  The path curves 360 degrees around the mountain.  After climbing most of the way down, we reached the moon side.  The clouds had blown away revealing the incredible full moon hanging in the sky over the city lights.  Cape Town looked so impressive and twinkly.