Another Day in Paradise

Table Mountain Cable Way

City of Cape Town

After only a week of living under the awe inspiring mountains of Cape Town, it already saddens me to think of leaving this place. The great variety of cultures here blend together much like the many different types of clouds that dance across the mountain tops, which we were able to see in full spectacle on our trip up the infamous Table Mountain last Saturday. A short and scenic cable car ride took us to the top of the 1000 meter mountain in a matter of about 7 minutes. At the top, we enjoyed spectacular views of the city and the ocean alike while indulging in my first ever ostrich sandwich (quite delicious!). After lunch, we headed out for an adventure down the mountain, as we had only bought a one-way ticket to the top of the cable way. After about an hour and a half of wandering through a somewhat eerie cloud, we determined that we had missed our path down, and had to turn around and head back to the cable. Luckily, it was still running and we were able to catch a ride back to the bottom. From there, we headed to the V&A Waterfront, an absolutely gorgeously developed marina, that offers a plethora of nice restaurants, live entertainment, and street performers. We enjoyed a bottle of some local South African wine over a breath-taking sunset before heading to a pub to enjoy a few brews and some live rock and roll. The next day, we returned to the waterfront so that the rest of the group could experience the vibrancy of the area. We ate some sushi before sampling more wine and some oysters, while engaging in some excellent discussion with friends. Overall, an excellent first weekend in the city.

V&A Waterfront with Table Mountain in the background

Sandbag building

Monday morning brought our first day of work in the township of Lavender Hill. It was shocking to see the poverty of the area as we drove to work, an unbelievable contrast from the posh Waterfront were we had spent most of the weekend. Trash littered the streets that wound through the run-down tin-metal shacks, which were separated by no more than the length of a broom. The smells of burning trash and sewage brought back memories of Ghana, and it felt as though we had entered a different world than that which we were in before. We arrived at the community center to be welcomed by our project manager, Dean, a loving and caring human being who is more than happy to be a father figure to the many volunteers that he oversees. His leadership has built the entire center out of sandbags and concrete, using a method that he invented himself. His dream for the center, which was previously a waste dump site, is absolutely inspiring, as he has teamed up with the neighboring nature reserve to  make the center a South African exhibit in the 2014 World Exhibition. It feels so good to be a part of something so socially and environmentally friendly, and know that the sweat I shed each day goes back into something that is truly larger than myself. While the work is somewhat tedious, Dean's lovely personality and the other volunteers from all over the world have made the week fly by, each day seeming much shorter than it actually is. At this pace, our time here will be gone before we know it...