You Say Beef. I Say Milk.

5/15/09
A couple weeks ago Murray invited Jamie and I camping in Montagu with him, his sister and some of her friends. Montagu is a small town about 2 hours east of Cape Town. The plan was to camp Friday and Saturday night. A trail run was taking place on Saturday at a hot springs resort in the area. The events were a 4k, an x-treme 10k and an x-treme 17k. On Sunday, we planned to drive another 2 hours to Cape Aghulas, the most southern tip of Africa and where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian. We thought it would be a great (non-touristy) South African experience and jumped at the opportunity.

With a nasty storm headed towards Cape Town and rainy gray skies above us, Murray picked us up at work today as scheduled. The skies broke up (per usual-I’ve found that Cape Town weather is much like New Englands; if you don’t like it, wait 15 minutes). Murray took us back to his house while we waited for his sister, Debbie. I had my first glass of “milo”, a powdered malt. I had it with hot water, an attempt at hot chocolate. While it was tasty, it’s not as sweet as Swiss Miss or Quick…and I like sweet :)

Debbie arrived less than an hour later and we spent the next tying to cram our stuff into her small car. The cars in South Africa are generally small. Even the SUVs are compact, but there aren’t very many of them. Most South Africans drive small, compact, hatch-back cars. It’s refreshing to see such eco-friendly cars everywhere, but they don’t make for good storage. We traveled with gear on our laps, by our feet and in between us. Aside from the first 30 minutes of rush hour traffic, the drive was absolutely gorgeous (and cozy). We drove on winding roads surrounded by mountains and towering rock cliffs. Because of the rainy week, dozens of small waterfalls sprouted down from the mountain sides. Part of the route took us through an 11km tunnel under a mountain. Debbie did a fabulous job at the wheel and kept some rocking tunes as well.

We arrived at camp after sunset and set up our tents. Luckily, our friends were able to supply us with not only our tent, but sleeping bags and mats as well. Debbie’s friends arrived shortly after we did and the 10 or so of us had a fireside braai. We ate lamb chops, boerwors, potatoes, and grilled cheese. It was all amazing. After dinner most of the group went off to their respective tents for “quiet hours” and to rest up for the big race the next morning. Jamie, Debbie, her friends (Doug and Dave) and I went into “town”. After driving around and passing a number of empty “venues”, we ended up at a small pub. I was introduced to a new beverage: a shanty (sp?)-a combination of beer and sparkling lemonade…and I actually liked it! I might try to reinvent it in the states. Dave and Doug turned out to be real quality people. We got on with them from the beginning and before long we were laughing and carrying on like we’d known them for ages. It was nice to surround ourselves with good company. I feel so fortunate to have met South Africans who have so enthusiastically opened up to us. I have learned so much from these friends about the culture, and have been exposed to such fascinating and rare Cape Town experiences.

A Road Trip Snippet:

Debbie: Look at the moo cows!
Jamie: Beef!
Dani: Beef??!
Jamie: Yeah. What do you think of when you see cows?
Dani and Murray: Milk.
Debbie: Cheese