Aster Palms Paarl

Hi Friends! Howzit? All's well in the Cape, I have a few stories and pictures to post. Mzoli's Meats was tasty and fun in Gugulethu Township. Mzoli's is a glorified braai. There's this large outdoor 'patio' full of tables and a dj set up. Customers BYOB (the B can stand for beverage or bread, yes bread.) because all you really order is a tray of meat. Use your imagination, and you're probably right on track.. (guy carrying qt bottles of Castle is Eric ...

... w*s hil*rious w*tching the re*ction when we s*id we put m*rshm*llows on the sweet pot*toes! For desert we h*d Pumpkin pie m*de by *nother older Americ*n couple who m*de the pie out of re*l pumpkin... he s*id with out the c*nned pumpkin it w*s * bit more difficult th*n they were used too! We *ll s*t down... w*tched the elder Americ*n show everyone how to cut * turkey, *nd the best p*rt w*s w*tching Lizelle enjoy not only her first th*nksgiving, but the first time she ever h*d turkey ...

... us. We've crossed many time zones, have logged countless hours of travel time, and walked the entire diameter of the earth. Twice!!. Ok, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic with that last part. But my feet and legs would tell you otherwise. We woke up to a rainstorm - very unusual for a South African summer. And the first thing that came to my mind was that youtube song, "Chocolate Rain." Hahaha - I have no idea why it was ...

... have electricity, however there isn't running water within them. There are community bathrooms (basically port-o-potties) and a community area to collect water from pipes. I volunteer in Kayamandi every Monday at the pre-primary school Ikahya and teach lessons to five year olds. I had a to have a tour of Kayamandi before I started volunteering. It was dark that morning. The clouds were gray and threatening with rain. We had a tour through the township by a man who had lived there most of ...

... the rockface dropped away from under my feet. I had got to the edge of an overhang. "What the hell do I do?" I thought. " Do I swing under this outcrop and try to find the wall again underneath, or what?" If I had panicked and not kept my head, I dread to think what might have happened. I just thought "Well, there's no other way to get down, I'm attached to a rope, I'll just have to keep going." So I let myself drop. "Oh my God! Heeeelp!" were my precise words as I launched ...

... the caveman hunter-gatherer as he bites into a succulent piece of meat, knaws it to the bone and licks the fat and grease from his fingers, while crouched in the grass in flickering firelight. After the meat was gone we promptly got more civilized and proceeded to socialize. We met three Gabonese and got drawn into a conversation about iboga. It turns out that they are Bhutists and iboga is their spiritual plant, used when someone desires to know more about themselves or something in ...

... car, they are not close enough to walk, and taxis will be very expensive. We were not detered. We found a minibus and talked a guy into giving us a ride to a vineyard for R80, we talked him down from R200. So we are off and i am happy again, we will persevere. He takes us to the only vineyard that was closed. When we get back to town square he expects us to pay him but i explain buddy you said you didnt deliver, we havent ...

... the cutest kids ever. They happened to have a separate guest apartment behind their house, and it was like being in a fancy B&B for Amy and I who were used to hostels and shabby guesthouses. While we were there, it happened to be one of the biggest times of the year (culturally speaking) that Paarl has. We're talking rugby. Big time high school rugby. Every year two of the top teams in the nation (Boys High and Gymnasium) square off in Paarl, and people ...

... invigorating experience, and from Camp's Bay you get to look up at the 12 Apostles, and the roiling clouds on Table Mountain as you slowly go comfortably numb. By the way, if you read my last entry, you might be wondering what kloofing is as I did for about my first month in SA). "Kloof" is the Afrikaans word for gorge, or canyon. Kloofing is seriously fun: don a wetsuit, lifejacket, and good but wettable shoes. Know someone who knows how to get into a gorge at a secluded spot ...