Cape Town and Around

Cape Town and Around

We originally arrived on the African Continent on May 14th in Cape Town. Most of our African adventures originated out of Cape Town where we spent a lot of time relaxing and organizing our trips. We also spent a few days on separate occasions in Johannesburg creating a scouting report for the 2010 World Cup. We (more specifically Jason) focused on trying to get hoteliers and drivers to commit to locking in a price for our next adventure here but were unsuccessful. Everyone is very excited for the big event (not always for the right reasons) although there is a ton of work that needs to be done first.
The primary language in most of South Africa is Afrikaans which is similar to Dutch. Jason wants to be fluent for the World Cup but so far has learned zero words. He is hoping to improve on this though in the next 2 years. He tried to speak with their accent but was accused of sounding like someone from India….maybe he will return to his French studies instead. Ah oui, Denise Goulet.
If you listen to any media report this is supposed to be an extremely dangerous and unsettled place. We did not experience or see any signs of this. But we did see incredible scenery, like Table Mountain, the Cape of Good Hope reserve, Stellenbosch and Franschoek. We also met some of the most helpful and welcoming people, everyone bent over backwards to help us out and was very friendly.
We hiked Table Mountain a couple of times, rented a car and drove/hiked all around the Cape of Good Hope Reserve while being stalked by a troop of angry baboons, did a wine tour around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, toured Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned, and hung out on Long Street.
In Johannesburg we did a tour of the city and Soweto. Soweto is a township southwest of Johannesburg. Some estimate the population at about 3-4 million. Interesting fact - both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived here. This means it is the only place in the world where 2 noble peace prize winners lived on the same street.
After all of the World Cup scouting we hope that most games are not played in Johannesburg as it does have some serious issues. Basically, the city center is dead. Five star hotels have been abandoned and all of the major businesses have moved to the suburbs, it’s an eerie sight. For the first time on our trip we might have to agree with the media on this place.
Kranik - I hear the US has new practice jerseys…better stock up now.

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