Daisies to Durban

And then there were four... weeks left that is. I am absolutely floored by how fast time has flown by here. I'm not ready to go back, but all wonderful things must come to an end (at least temporarily). Thus, seeing that my clock here is shrinking right before my eyes, its time to really make the best of everything. Now that assignments have let up, all that is left to do is four exams and four weeks of bliss :) This post had to be pushed way back in order to accommodate my ever-growing pile of useless pass/fail assignments. However, I'm sure that what will be covered will have you shaking with laugher, jealousy, and filled with entertainment. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the adventure!

LION'S HEAD

            One quik little adventure that I was able to jump onto was hiking Lions Head. Before Rocking the Daisies, Reagan, Madeline, Hunja, Sara and I all decided to give it a go. Lion's Head is a smaller mountain right next to Table Mountain. I had yet to return to the hiking scene following the previous Table Mountain incident, however this particular hike turned out to be fabulous. However, any small gust of wind sent my stomach churning. I mad it very clear that if God decided to sneeze us all off of the mountain again, I would never hike another trail in Cape Town for the rest of my natural born life. The weather was amazing and the entire hike lasted just a few hours. Oddly enough, Lion's Head managed to donate a better view of Cape Town. One could see all of the city, Camps Bay, and Robben Island in the distance. The trail circled around the mountain and at some points, we were forced to climb up ladders, chains, and pegs. It turned out to be a lot of fun! All in all, it was very pleasant and the gale force winds decided to give my heart-attack a rest :)

ROCKING THE DAISIES, October 8th - 10th

 

Was Earth Dance enough? Absolutely not. I signed up happily for round two of inexplicable fun at yet another music festival. On Friday the 8th, the girls and I loaded up yet another rental car (we couldn't ever decided on a name for this one) and headed off to a wine estate for the hosting of Rocking the Daisies. Unlike Earth Dance, this festival was much bigger and featured much much more than just pure electro/trance. The weather was bangin'. The sun decided to come out and play the entire weekend hundreds of happy youths sprawled out on towels in front of the alternative stage and threw in some spandex and head bands for the Red Bull Studio Live electro stage. Upon arrival, we checked in at the main entrance and then were thrown into a fortress of cheap tents, fire pits, and life threatening streams of rope that managed to catch us off guard on multiple occasions (I ended up eating a lot of dirt on the way to the porter potties throughout the weekend). We found a good spot that we unbelievably, didn't manage to forget location wise, and pitched camp. After exploring the area and organizing the location of all of our other friends, we spent the majority of Friday exploring our playground for the weekend. Hundreds of people were prancing around with paper mache daisies on their heads and while others where gawking at the already-horrendous state of the toilet situation. We had arrived. Friday night was spent at the Red Bull Studio Live tent, rocking out to awesome dubstep and trash electro. South Africa's very own talent was unspeakably awesome. After a wopping three hours of sleep (already better than what I achieved at the previous festival) we woke up, snagged some grub, and stretched out in front of a acoustical artist on the alternative stage. It was hot, sunny, and simply perfect.

After some time we decided to move over to the pond to go swimming and enjoy the rest of the crowd which was soaking up rays. My friends Marlee and Kat decided to jump into human hamster balls that allowed them to roll across the pond... needless to say but it was quite a sight for crying eyes. I'm not sure I've ever laughed so hard. The rest of the gang arrived in the afternoon, bringing my rocks star friends such as Regan and Lindsay to the scene of the beautiful crime scene of extreme fun. Once night fell, so did the strobes and crowds of dancing people. The night was a lot of fun and I got to catch an amazing time at performances put on by bands such as the Flash Republic. Memories doesn't quite cut the images of amusement that will stick with me forever! We had one guy come up and randomly just start telling us jokes on the lawn. We saw a pile of twelve people that all decided to fall asleep on top of one and other. And, well, smiling and laughter burned off a lot of calories! The next day, we all packed up and headed back early... unfortunately the real world didn't manage to keep away from too long and I had 20 typed pages due that needed to be started.

DURBAN:

 

Following the end of hell week and the wrapping up of classes, Regan and I decided to jump on a plane to Durban to check out from the Western Cape for this past weekend. I had yet to truly leave the Western Cape so it was really nice to see another side to South Africa. The two of us jumped in a cab at 3:30am and set off for the airport. Lets just say we weren't overly pleasant, however the excitement about seeing Alexa for the first time since the Spring managed to keep our spirits high. After buying Regan snagged some comfort food (root beer flavored gummies) for the flight ahead, the two of us collapsed at the gate until our flight time. The flight was very smooth, short, and sweet. The two of us landed in Durban at 7:35am and were immediately relieved to be hit with a gust of the humid Durban air and smell of the Indian Ocean. Unlike Cape Town's beaches, the Indian Ocean in the Eastern Cape throws a nice weight of humidity and warmth over the town. The water is much warmer and more tolerable than that of the Western Cape. We took a long cab ride through the tropical scenery and checked into our backpackers, Tekwani. However, we never slept in the backpackers but rather checked out early and crashed at Alexa's apartment in North Shore with her and her housemates. Durban is extremely different from Cape Town. I found the demographics to be less diverse, primarily representing a high Zulu and Muslim population. I saw many women sporting Burkas and head scarves. Like Cape Town, everyone was extremely friendly and easy to talk to. There were a couple of instances where due to my skin color, I was automatically assumed to be of Afrikaaner descent and folks just started rattling off to me in Afrikaans. Well, that did't go very far haha. In Cape Town, the white population is primarily split along English and the Afrikaaner population.

Alexa came bursting through our hostel door and we were all able to deliver a long awaited hug. Reunited again! After chatting for quite some time, the three amigos decided to cab it over to Durban's World Cup stadium. It was truly breath taking and in some ways tragic because these stadiums are really struggling to find significant use. The top of the stadium is meant to symbolize the arrow-type design of the South African flag. It made for some really neat architecture. We walked around for about and hour and then walked a long ways over to North Shore where one could find Alexa's apartment, a Wimpy's, and dozens of gorgeous surfers (just had to throw that in there... yall know me;) ) We snagged a Wimpy's burger and then walked up to Alexa's rocking pent house that overlooked the entire coastline. After meeting all of her awesome roommates and grabbing a much-needed nap, the lot of us walked back down to the beach and relaxed on the pier to watch people surf. In case none of you fine people have seen "The Endless Summer," the perfect wave was said to be found in Cape St. Francis, near to Durban in the Eastern Cape. There was some pretty neat talent to be found in what looked like 8 year old boys that could tear up a wave like nothing I'd gotten a chance to watch before. I mean come on, I'm from Texas. People like to pretend that you can surf in Texas but the only surfing I've done involves either a browser or a mattress.

 

Friday night we all followed up handsome surfer scenery with a yummy Indian dinner and then the three Richmonders headed out to a small local bar to sit and chat. As per usual, we all made friends with the local bartenders who turned out to play a good part in the weekend's entertainment and festivities. After saying goodbye to our new Durbanites, we headed back to the apartment and crashed for the night. The next day we woke up relatively (emphasis on "relatively") early and headed out to a local market where artisans and delicious food could be found. The weather was amazing and the scenery delectable. We spent a good amount of time there and also on the beach. It was just so nice to be outside and to be able to catch up on each other's lives. We decided to rest for most of the afternoon so that the lot of us could make a stellar appearance at the Kaizer Chief's game late that night... what a spectacle.

 

After suiting up in South African's Soccer apparel, vuvuzelas in hand, our clan headed over to the game. This athletic experience was unlike any I have attended in the past. The crowd, which was composed of primarily Zulu speakers, danced and sang and tooted their vuvuzelas for the entire match. Our lot of American girls initially looked extremely out of place. However, once the fun started we managed to blend it like a regular. When the Chiefs scored their first goal, it was as if someone had flipped the "lets rave" switch and banging beats flooded the stadium while fans climbed up onto the walls and danced ecstatically. The Chief's captured a 2-0 victory, making it a really fun game. The match was also held at the World Cup stadium so it was really neat to get a taste of the vibe that was still ghosting around the excited South African fans. After leaving the buzzing stadium, some of the girls and Alexa decided to challenge passing pedestrians to a Zulu dance in which you kick your leg as high as possible... I think Alexa won that one! Ha, it was a great spectacle. In order to celebrate the win, we all returned to the bar where our new friends worked and had ourselves a merry ole' time!

The next day, Alexa and her housemates needed to accomplish some last minute school work so Regan and I decided to burn off our late-night fever by taking a casual stroll though the UShaka aquarium. It was a pretty impressive place and the two of us spent a good few hours strolling through the tanks, watching perhaps the most epic display of poor acting and impressive seal talent at the seal show with all of the other two year olds, and relaxing out on the pier. We wrapped up our Sunday by laying out on the beach until a rather daunting lightning storm decided to pay Durban a visit, forcing us back into the apartment. While we were on the beach, we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a Zulu ritual where women danced, sang, and filled empty milk and orange juice jugs with the water of the Indian Ocean while emerging themselves in the warm water, fully clothed no less. It was really neat to watch! After goodbyes and packing up our small carry-ons, Regan and I reluctantly headed back for the airport. For a good while, it didn't appear as if the storm would let us leave quietly. Luckily it burned off just as we were about to leave, jet streaming us back into the Western Cape. Home Sweet Cape Town :)  Our time spent in Durban was unbelievable and so well worth it. Now, I am back on UCT campus, going cross-eyed from this very long post and am about ready to catch up on that much needed sleep that escaped us due to fun for a good portion of the weekend. Next stop: HALLOWEEN!!! Apparently, its not as big of a life event here as it is back in the States, but I'm sure that I will devise some sort of master disguise that will frighten a few tame Capetonians.

Muhahahahahhhhh

Hopper

Spin like a South African

Here are some AWESOME tracks from a few of my favorite South African DJs that I've gotten to see around town and at the music festivals... some pretty rave-tastic material!! Enjoy it hooligans ;^)

HAEZER - James Bond by HAEZER

Popskarr Feat. Gazelle - Obsession by POPSKARR


Mix n Blend - Shall We Swing feat Sindy [Liver Remix] by mixnblend


Chappies by sibot




BIG FIVE feat. Fuzzy Slippers by P.H.FAT


Games by Twelv & Thesis

EARTH DANCE PHOTOS!

This past Sunday, while packing to leave from Rocking the Daisies, Regan was rolling up her sleeping bag and noticed a slight lump at the bottom. Any guesses what it was? Drum roll please....MY CAMERA!! Hah, luckily it hadn't been stolen but simply put to rest between music festivals for it had fallen to the bottom of her Sleeping Bag that I'd borrowed. Funny too since I actually did NO sleeping at Earthdance... nevertheless, I am ECSTATIC and so happy that it is no longer MIA :D 

So without further ado, here are some sneak peeks of Earthdance!

(PS: Look for an AWESOME post about Rocking the Daisies, should be up tomorrow or the day after if I manage to survive the homework that I obviously blew off until Sunday to go to Daisies)

Clare and Marlee + Our Ride (Biggie Smalls/Vegas/Geert)

Tent Shopping at Makro aka South African CostCo

Red Bull Studio Live (my new obsession)

Origin Stage pre-strobes, nighttime, black lights, and hundreds of raving youths

Red Bull Studio Live (Daytime)

Red Bull Studio Live

Peace Parade

When Hopper Met Hipsters: A Love Story

SORRY FOR A LACK OF PHOTOS... MY CAMERA DISSAPPERED MYSTERIOSLY AT EARTH DANCE AND I'M HAVING TO MAKE UP FOR IT WITH ONES I MANAGED TO CAPTURE ON MY BLACKBERRY ;( I'M GOING TO TRY AND GET SOME OFF OF MY FRIENDS AND POST THEM HERE ASAP!

I promise, I haven’t been eaten by lions, detained by Namibian border control, fallen off of Table Mountain, gotten into a fist fight with a rabid baboon, or run away to Tahiti with Jordy Smith... in other words I'm still alive and well. I can't believe how much time has passed between my previous blog post and this one... APPOLOGIES!! I have no real excuse, although I guess I could say that I have had a lot of work, but the doing of that work is an entirely different story. Thus, my neglect to write is entirely unjustified. So lets hope that this one makes up for it...!!!

Lets see... where did I leave off last time? Oh yeah, EARTH DANCE!!! Well, unfortunately, there isn't much to write about that would probably leave this post under the "family friendly" check box, however I can say that I had the time of my life. Among the details that I can spare about the weekend, here is what I got kiddos ;) On Friday, September 16th, my friends Clare and Marlee and I set off in our rental, otherwise named Vegas/Biggie Smalls/Geert (we couldn't really decided on a name). This car looked like something Doc Brown blasted through to the future from the early 80s. I can't remember the model for the life of me, not that it really mattered, but I'm pretty sure it was some deceased breed of Toyota. It's white paint was peeling, the inside was solid black, and there was a radio that picked up only three FM stations. Oh, and a cassette player because apparently, people still use those? Not quite. The three of us (Marlee already covered in body paint at 11am), loaded the car with our Pringles, cash, and ciders. But the greatest part of Veas/Biggie Smalls/Geert was that we got to drive that little baby on the LEFT side of the road... woah mama now thats an adventure in itself. Plus, the only form of a map that we had managed to throw together was a faulty Google Map and well, by licking our index fingers and trying to figure out which was the wind was blowing. We, were, screwed. It took us about 2 hours to get out of the city and find the South African version of Costco where we could buy a cheap tent. Oh and I might add, I did 85% of this driving that Friday... two wrongs don't make a right my friends. After scuttling around every wrong exit ramp, entrance ramp, yadda yadda yadda... we finally found our way to the correct highway that would take us to the small  town of Worcester, home of Earth Dance.

Nekkies, the Land/resort thing, that it was held at, was nestled in a beautiful valley blanketed with vineyards and a beautiful view of the mountains (in case you all haven't figured it out for yourself yet... there aren't many ugly things about the landscape here). We were greeted with a long line of anxious adolescents, ready to party it out over the next 48hrs. Between the aviators, Grateful Dead t-shirts, and rustas, I knew we had miraculously wound up at the right place. Hipsters paradise my friends. A cheerful lady walked alongside each car, snapping an EARTH DANCE wristband onto all of our left arms and handing us goodie bags with consisted of a program, an eco-friendly ash tray, and a condom. So generous. We finally parked Vegas/Biggie Smalls/Geert and then lugged out load over to our decided upon camp site and pitched a tent. From there on out... well, I think you can gather what happened! The music was unbelievable and the weather was to die for (or in my case, to sunBURN for). Every night, the stages would light up and some of the best Electro/Trance/Dubstep music I've ever heard would radiate off of the starry sky above. Out of that 48hrs, we danced for 20 and slept for zero... you do the math! What a weekend. Obviously, like any music festival, the people watching/meeting was extremely interesting. The three of us "Americanos" as some of the other Earth Dancer's came to call us, spared no minute for dullness.

Kalkies

Rugby

Over the next couple of weeks, there were a random assortment of fun happenings that have earned a spot in this blog. Last weekend started with National Heritage/Braai day on Friday. So, Lindsay, our South African friends, and I all decided to go to a Braai (obviously in commemoration of the holiday) and then to a rugby game at Newlands where we had on-the-field seats. It was a blast. The next day, a couple of friends and I decided to nurse our headaches from the holiday over by going down to a place called Kalk Bay to enjoy supposedly legendary fish and chips from a place called Kalkies right in the harbor. Well, the fish and chips where great but the best part of that day was what we had all decided to come up with next... tarot card readings. Lindsay, Jules and I were walking along the bay area shops when we saw a sign for "Claudine" tarot card readings... of course we didn't pass it up. It was my first time to have my cards read so I figured, what was there to lose? Right. So, we walked up the small back alley way (its a beach town, wasn't sketchy so keep you socks on) and up the stairs to a precious flat that overlooked the entire bay. Claudine, a sweet and petite blonde lady met us at the door and invited us in to figure out what the hell was going on in our hectic lives. I had half excepted to see a plump toad of a woman, but Claudine looked like the mom of any one of my best friends... totally normal. We all sat down and one by one, had our cards read. I can't defy the confidentiality of my friends, however I can share some of the details of what my tarot reading told me.  On second thoughts... lets just see if it comes true, then I'll tell you ;)

Naked Sushi!!!

This past Monday, the same group of girls that I had my tarot cards read with, plus some (including Regan) and I all went Naked Sushi at a fun place called Bamboo in Greenpoint. The night consisted of all you can eat sushi off of girls covered in seaweed (pretty much only, but don't worry... everything was covered.... kind of) and comedy acts. It was fabulous. Not to mention, the place was crawling with men (any guesses as to why?). I accidentally told one of the girls laying down on the bar that I couldn't take any of the sushi on her cause she was covered with crabS (I'm allergic to shell fish and they were crab filled rolls). I immediately felt awful, but she laughed. Way to go HOPPER! They have to have the best job in the world... all you can eat sushi off of your bellybutton, free shots, and a big tip. And not to mention lots of date-propositions I'm sure. Sounds like the dream job to me. (Sorry Grandma... I just really like sushi!) The night was a lot of fun, and not as extreme as it sounds really, but it was still nothing short of a good time.

As for more recent occurrences, Regan and I decided to join a Yoga gym in downtown Cape Town in order to work on our figures... or in my case complete lack of flexibility what-so-ever. The type of yoga that we did was Bikram, or Hot, Yoga. It lasted 90 minutes and as if that wasn't miserable enough at times, Regan and I got placed behind 16 year old prima ballerinas/ Cirque du Soleil contortionists. It. Sucked. I've never felt like more of and idiot in my entire life. Thanks for that one girls, really. Regan and I had to work really hard on keeping a straight face while the girls where literally spelling their names with their arms via a backbend type thing. I don't think that I have ever sweated so much in my entire life. My child's pose was painful. However, it felt amazing afterwards. The two of us are definitely going back once we can generate enough sweat to make it through another 90 minute class.

Other than that, the semester has really flown by! I can't believe that I have less than two months before I am on a return flight home to Richmond, Texas. Wow. To be honest, I'm not really looking for the culture shock that will be waiting for me there, its sure to be a big one. However, I am starting to miss things like fajitas, pickles, my car, REAL ketchup, and Forever 21. But none of those things, with the exceptions of friends and family, could make me willingly return home. I feel like I've found a pocket of my heart here that I didn't know needed to be filled. Curiouser and Curiouser. Well, the next time I blog will likely be after Rocking the Daisies (get PUMPEDD!!!) I've mentioned it in previous posts, but its finally HERE! Next weekend, my friends and I will be trekking up to an even bigger music festival (of more variety) and it will surly make for a fun post.

Until then... enjoy your own adventures, wherever in the world or in life that you might be!

Hopper Xoxo

All About Earth Dance

Ready your head bands, Ray Ban's, and art stands... its time for EARTH DANCE!

This coming weekend I will be attending a Trance/Electronic music festival outside Cape Town, full of: art, great music, funny looking people, and prayers to Mother Earth. Needless to say... I'm really looking forward to it, as should you all for I am CERTAIN that the weekend will inspire another fun-filled post! Anyways, here is some info about the potential shenangans that I'll be getting myself into so enjoy folks and don't forget to give MaMa soil some kisses this weekend ;^* 

(Click the Title to Learn All About It!!)

Oh la la - Hopper X

Uncorked and Untamed

I'm fairly positive that after the past three days, my mom will be inclined to write me back into the family will after having been removed upon using the statement, "All wine tastes the same mom... its yucky!" at the age of eight. For those of you who don't know my mother's classy and careful taste in fine wines, let me just put it to you this way... we designed the wine cellar in our house before we added toilets to the floor plan.  And as per usual, mommy dearest was right when she said all wine doesn't taste the same... boy am I proud to say was I wrong.

FRANSCHHOEK

This past Saturday, I woke up late, frazzled at the thought of having to depart in half an hour and in the meantime pack, shower, and fetch Madeline at her house. True to form... I had saved quite possibly every detail to the last minute. Jogging down Main Rd. in Rondebosch, I met Maddy at her place and then we continued further up town to our friend Brooke's house where the car was waiting to take us to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch... the wine lands :) Because the majority of American study abroad students had already left on overland trips throughout the country and then some, Maddy and I had decided that a tasteful (pun intended) weekend of wine sampling would be a nice alternative. Neither of us had ever done something similar (obviously because we are not legal yet in the States). Our friend Brooke had volunteered to join us on the first day of our grape-tastic excursion with a woman whom she had been extremely fortunate to find on her last outing in Franschhoek. Jackie, our driver and tour guide, was possibly the nicest and most precious woman I have met since arriving here. The entire day of driving, tours, and dining cost us less than $200 USD (and its still a 30 minutes drive to the vineyards)! The two of us bounced into Jackie's comfortable sedan, Brooke already relaxed in the passenger side seat. We were met with Jackie's lovable smile, sweet Afrikaner accent, and aroma of cleanliness.

After a 30 minute car ride of casual conversation and beautiful countryside, we turned down rows and rows of grape vines, barely starting to bloom under the gray blanket of clouds and looming presence of the mountains. We had made it to Franschhoek, where our weekend of flowing bliss had continently landed on a wine festival, "Franschhoek Uncorked!" Our first stop was Vrede en Lust. Ribbon-y posters fluttered in the casual wind as we walked up to purchase our weekend passes which would enable us to visit every participating vineyard in Franschhoek (with unlimited tastings I might add). The surrounding group of wine enthusiasts were a mixture of people dressed to pin and others in relaxed fleece sweaters and kakis. After being handed our passes, stamped with a map of the region, and our complimentary wine glasses, we entered the tasting room which was buzzing with servers in Oktoberfest-like uniforms and a jovial crowd of spirited tourists. The inside of Vrede en Lust was full of handsome wood architecture and seductively comfortable leather couches and fine furniture. It was an interesting mix of classic elegance and up-beat modernity. After sampling our fist round of about six different wines from a tasty Sauvignon Blanc to a savory Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot blend, we departed towards our next stop with eager spirits.

In between vineyards, Jackie would educate us about the history vineyards and the elegant complexity of how different wines were made such as Shiraz, which is grown from a sandy soil. Plaisir de Merle, the next stop, was among the largest, oldest, and prettiest of the vineyards. Colorful gardens and rich greenery softened the land of Plaisir de Merle. The wine tasting was held in a small out-door tent, right next to a home that had been constructed in, if I remember correctly, the 1700s. Iron tables and chairs where dispersed throughout the yard and a melodic violinist was casually strolling around the smiling wine tasters. There was a seductive smell of baguette and freshly-made crepes dancing through the air from a table laden with delicious home-made cuisine. We explored the old houses for a bit, marveling at the gorgeous architecture and aged thatch roofs, and then settled to taste the four samples of wine that were offered. The server, a young Afrikaner boy, took note of our accent and made sure to half-jokingly remind our designated driver to "keep left" on the highway. Good thing Jackie was South African, but thanks anyway! This wine list was among the most expensive, however not necessarily my favorite. Don't get me wrong, it was a fine mixture of mouth enticing flavors, however it was the atmosphere that I felt made my experience at Plaisir de Merle memorable. It was romantic, graceful, and picturesque. Jackie taught Brooke, Maddy, and I how to smell and "swish" our wine around in both the glass and our mouths as to extract the most of the complex taste lingering within our complimentary wine glasses. 

Our next two stops were Allée Bleue and then Solms-Delta. Allée Bleue was possibly my least favorite, yet fun nevertheless. The high caliber of vineyards that we visited were all superb, so when I say my least favorite... it was still more than satisfactory. The land of Allée Bleue was flat an not nearly as colorful as Plaisir de Merle. However, its most memorable detail was the tasting room. It was large, open, covered with modern art and a fun blue color scheme. The wine was extremely tasty. After being mistaken for a South African by one of the flirtations Wine bearers who began rambling off in Afrikaans to me, only to stop at the sight of my twisted facial expression, he switched to English, laughing as he poured Chardonnay into my glass while saying, "American? Very cool... you know this is completely unlimited so come back for as many tastings as you'd like." Thanks dude, will do ;)  This encounter became the entire theme of the weekend... flirtation. Be it with our food, our wine, or the people we met, our weekend was gracefully smothered with playful conversation. Solms-Delta, our next visit, was situated on an extremely old vineyard that the present owner had excavated, only to fine the remains of precious bones, tools, pottery, and foundation that had once met the land hundreds and hundreds of years ago. The owner had thus built a museum, "Museum de Caab," (Museum of the Cape), which displayed these precious finds and timelines of the region's history. Whilst walking through the museum, my eyes oddly glazed over a smooth piece of rock which turned out to be one of the old pieces of pottery that had surfaced due to excavation... a pretty neat piece of memorabilia! The tasting area featured a fun live band that consisted of a New York lead singer funny enough, and a large crowd of chatty individuals. The wine, I might add, was splendid. The three of us paid extra to taste a find blend of a bunch of things I can't remember which had nearly a 20% alcohol content... we knew then that food needed to happen next!!

The fifth stop was at Anthonij Rupert Wines, a winery with an exquisite display of vintage cars and racehorses. I only managed to taste one glass of their collection due to the fact that I moseyed over to the small dirt track lined with shiny old cars. I laughed as a faily drunk old women spilt a slight amount of red wine while climbing out of the car on the passenger seat, nearly sending the owner of the estate into a bit of a fit. He resisted with elegance, but I guess that just goes to show that fine leather interior and Merlot don't quite mix well. Next, our hungry tummies and hazy vision led us to Graham Beck Wines, possibly my favorite of all six estates. It reminded me of being in a Colorado Lodge. It was not nearly as crowded and we were able to enjoy a tasty meal sampling in front of a whispering fire and a relaxing air of acoustical talent from a musician who also dedicated his own version of "Sweet Home Alabama" to us American girls. The wine was divine, and the scenery was breathtaking, as per usual. That visit wrapped up our time in Franschhoek as the three of us, in our blissful states, returned to Jackie's car and headed back in the direction of Stellenbosch, the other side of the wine region where our hostel for the next two nights was located.

STELLENBOSCH

After saying goodbye to Brooke and our beloved Jackie, Maddy and I stumbled up to our hostel, skillfully named the "Stumble Inn." We checked into our dorm, filled with six beds but at that time only the two of us, and immediately crashed into a two-hour nap. After waking up, our appetites had returned along with a slight since of dehydration. At dusk, the two of us strolled through the seemingly empty town of Stellenbosch with its quaint architecture and found our way to Man'oushe, a Lebanese restaurant and bakery. The restaurant was semi-outdoors (it had an open front) and was filled with comfortable couches, tables, and a friendly staff. The most friendly of the staff, as it turned out, was the head chef and owner Jean, a jovial and witty Lebanese man who seemed to fall head over heels for his new American Girls. Since when did Americans become so exotic? Not once have more than three different individuals in a conversational setting who are eager to flirt with an American approached me. Trust me, I'm not complaining... even if one of them was a good-humored Lebanese chef. During our meal, Maddy and I were sent multiple plates of luscious fruits who Jean himself came over to cut and peel for us. Although we were overly-full, we couldn't resist humoring him and wanted to avoid hurting Jean's feelings, so we ate them all. From the conversation between Jean and the rest of the now full restaurant, I could tell that he kept a close relationship with his loyal fans. And quite frankly I'm not surprised, the food was amazing and he was extremely entertaining. The table of regulars sitting next to us laughed at our contemplating of how to fit in even just one more complimentary strawberry into our bursting tummies.

Afterwards, we ran into Jean on the street outside his restaurant prior to visiting a small bar for a few drinks and good conversation, who then invited us to his faux birthday braai (we were picked up twice by people trying to lure us in with the "birthday" excuse! haha). Sadly, we didn't make it but the two of us socialites lingered over to Nu'Bar, a club with great music and an overly chic crowd. Maddy and I danced, had fun conversation with a couple of guys who wanted to test my poor proficiency in Afrikaans,  and de-energized the tired soles of our shoes. A fun end to a fabulous day! (can you believe I haven't even made it to Sunday yet!! Sorry for your sure to be tired eyes... but you have to admit, its been entertaining right?) OH BUT WAIT! THERE IS ACTUALLY MORE! Once Maddy and I had drifted off into sleep, we were soon informed that our dorm had more inhabitants upon hearing a jolting thud hit the floor right next to my bed. I heard a groaning figure in the dark, looked around, and sure enough, discovered that a few late night Brits had joined our room following our bedtime. Turns out, the drunk guy had thought he was sleeping on the bottom bunk and literally just rolled off the top of our bunk bed. Maddy and I spent the next half hour snickering uncontrollably in our bunks, every now and again hearing our laughter from beneath our buried heads in our pillow cases.

Spier Estate

We laughed a bit with the guys the next morning who as it turns out were passing through on their way to volunteer in Cape Town for a few weeks. The two of us then decided to explore a bit of Stellenbosch and to catch a good and heart breakfast. We wound up a deserted wine bar with an amazing breakfast menu. This was the first time I had drank a fine glass of merlot before 12pm with a mouthwatering breakfast sandwich. When in the wine-country right? It was in what looked like a lodge-attic hybrid cross. Our small table overlooked a quiet avenue. Later that day, we decided to catch a shuttle over to the largest of the Stellenbosch wine estates, Spier. And man, is Spier and estate. It housed a Cheetah refuge, a very cool restaurant named Moyo (which I had referenced in one of my past blogs), and a tasty selection of wines. Maddy and I indulged in all three. Following our tasting, we strolled over to take a peek at the lounging Cheetahs and then hoped over to Moyo for, oh yes, more wine and a relaxed atmosphere. Later retuning to Stellenbosch, we found ourselves in a Thai kitchen for dinner and then returned to the the Stumble Inn to unwind with some reading time and a nice nap... life doesn’t' get much better does it?

After a well deserved shower, we strolled over to a fun bar/restaurant called Cubana. It was relatively empty due to the fact that Stellenbosch is a college town and on Spring Break as well. Maddy and I ordered up a couple of Margaritas and apparently a couple of guys as well. We were sent a round of shots by a mystery man who later (faked a birthday excuse) and joined us with his laughter-provoking friend. Again... its that American charm isn't it? We sat at Cubana until closing, enjoying laughter and conversation, and then went our separate ways. I think that it's overly safe to say that Maddy and I managed to have an unbelievable wine tasting, food loving, and friend-acquiring weekend. We were fortunate to gain a room all to ourselves for the night and woke up well rested and ready for our sad journey back to Cape Town. We waved goodbye to our grapes and decided to catch the metro rail whose fist class consisted of empty benches... oh the luxury of South African's public transport.

And so that brings us to the end my friends. I'm currently suffering from a hand cramp due to this lengthy post at our trusty neighborhood coffee shop, a messy room and a pile of laundry waiting for me back at the house. I'll be sending you love again soon with a tale of the next portion of Spring Break that is up and coming, full speed ahead!

"In vino veritas"

In Wine is Truth - Proverb

xX Hopper Xx