Road Trip

Today was a road trip day. Those of us in the Hostel had a nice community breakfast before heading back to our concert venue from yesterday to collect the rest of the choir. As we drove out of Cape Town we said goodbye to the quaggas and prepared for the next four hours of driving. Not long after leaving, we spotted elephants on the side of the road, met with excited screams and even a few tears, and the thought of seeing more on the safari boosted our spirits. The drive was scenic, complete with farms, ostriches, and lots of cows and sheep. Along the sides of the road were fields of beautiful yellow canola flowers blanketing the ground, and it was hard to imagine these being turned into cooking oil. We made a stop at an aloe factory where we had tuna, egg salad, and ham and cheese sandwiches. They left out several aloe drinks for us to try, and while everyone had fun taking thick aloe shots it was cut short when we found out we were drinking a laxative. Scared of being stuck on a bus unable to use the bathroom we stopped drinking them, wary to read labels before drinking things in the future.

We got back on the bus and continued driving through the mountains which were at cloud level; the bus was wrapped in cloud vapor and mist. Looking out the windows onto the side of the road it seemed almost apocalyptic. The landscape of naked trees, small houses with no people in sight, and a grey foggy sky with no sun in sight. After descending from the clouds we stopped at a museum to briefly learn about the Caraval ship; the first ship that sailed from Portugal to South Africa by Bartolomeu Dias. Everyone had the chance to explore a full-size model, and although it was cool most people agreed they didn’t think they could live on it for very long. Then, we got back on the bus and finished our drive to Eagle’s Nest, a stunning bird-watching retreat/resort that is surrounded by jagged mountains and a beautiful lake.

Pulling into the thin driveway with our bus proved to be difficult, and as we stalled the owner of the resort came out to cut down tree branches so the bus would fit. When we arrived we raced to unload the luggage (1 minute and 19 seconds), and settled into our rooms before having vegetarian lasagna for dinner. For dessert we had Malva pudding, a common dessert in South Africa made with warm cake and a thick yellow custard poured on top just before serving. Afterwards, we had a brief rehearsal with Kimani and a meeting with our BCS families to check in about tour before everyone enjoyed free time. Most of the choir had fun in the hotel pool, which despite it’s small size proved to be a ton of fun. We spent an hour running in circles creating a whirlpool; laughing, tripping, and getting swept up in our makeshift current. It must have looked pretty funny from the outside, but we had a blast. The only shock came from walking outside in our wet swimsuits and realizing it was still winter!

Yours truly,

M&M

-- Quote of the Day:

“There’s a Whale!” said Jane in a high pitched and excited voice as we drove by the shore on our way to Eagle’s Nest.

Singer of the Day: Jim, thank you for being a positive example and for owning your role as peer leader.

Shoutouts:

Leonard, thank you for being a fantastic tour guide! We enjoy every minute of your detailed explanations and that has helped us understand South Africa in a very meaningful way. Lekka!