Monday, June 15, 2009
Formatting
I started "SA Part Deux" post before the "A Quick Update" post, so i guess it posts in order. Anyway, scroll down to see the newest post!
Monday, June 8, 2009
A quick update
So of course I haven't had a chance to get Part 2 of the SA trip posted on here (although I did start to write it the day I said I would), but I thought I'd give a quick update on this past weekend. As you may or may not know, I am moving into St. Louis this Friday (June 12). Ben Travers is coming down from Iowa City with his girlfriend, Nicole, both of whom just graduated from U of Iowa, to live with me. I found a nice 2 floor apartment in a neighborhood called Lafayette Square and instantly knew I wanted it. Ben came down for my graduation and went to look at a few of the places on my list with me. Luckily, he liked the same one, and we got our applications taken care of before leaving for SA. Anyway, I found out in SA that we were approved, and this past weekend, Ben and Nicole came down to sign the lease. Nicole hadn't seen the place yet, so after signing, our agent let us go check out the place again. Thankfully, Nicole liked it as well, or so she said. We spent the afternoon in the neighborhood, walking through Lafayette Park, which is only one block away, checked out the outdoor antique sale going on, went to a little wine shop 1/2 a block away from our apartment (that could be trouble) and made friends with the owner and his girlfriend, and went to dinner at a little micro-brewery and grill about two blocks from our place. The day got me even more excited about my move-in date. The neighborhood is beautiful and reminds me of San Francisco and there is plenty to do within just a few blocks. Here are some pictures of our place:
Our place is the 2nd and 3rd floor, but this is our own private door.
Our place is the 2nd and 3rd floor, but this is our own private door.
Yes, we do have a purple kitchen, and yes, that is the only reason I chose this place...I like purple...
Our living/dining room area.
The stairs to our 2nd floor (the 3rd floor)
The awesome view from our living room...notice the arch off in the distance...jealous?I get to start packing tonight (lucky me!) and will hopefully be completely moved in by this coming Sunday. After that, I'll try to get some pictures up of my room and the area a bit.
Check back soon....but not too soon....I'm a busy man.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
South Africa Part Deux
After a solid day of bungy jumping, we moved on to a nice little tourist town called Knysna. We got in late, so we just made ourselves a fire and played a friendly game of Yahtzee. I had a solid showing, garnering a 3rd place finish! (keep in mind Yahtzee is a 4 player game....) In the morning, we got up and did a little bit of shopping before heading up to a look-out point along the coast. There were some beautiful views from up top, but down below, I noticed an abundance of rock on the beach...perfect for some beach bouldering and soft landings! I was able to convince everyone to go down to the beach with me, and we all ended up having a great time. There was plenty to do and explore down there. I only found a couple of quality rocks to climb, but it was a fun little outing.
so much for soft landings....Our next stop was at Mossel Bay. For some reason, we thought it would be a great idea to stay in a backpacker lodge. We ended up in the "dormitory" style room, which consisted of 4 sets of bunk beds and two bathrooms at the end of the hallway that everyone in the lodge shared. We saved a bit of money that night, but decided that one backpacker lodge was enough of an experience for us. The next morning, I skipped the public shower and we made our way to Fish Hoek (a small bay town just south of Cape Town). As we near Fish Hoek, we can feel the excitement building. Mostly excitement to get out of the car, but also to see the wonderful B&B Jacinda and Matt booked for us just off the bay. In our excitement, we almost miss a sign reading: Beware of Potholes. Disregarding the sign, mom decides to put the pedal on the floor to see if we can just glide over the top of the potholes. Unfortunately, this technique didn't work. However, our wish of getting out of the car came true, as well pulled off the road next to the beach to change our completely flat tire. I must say, though, you couldn't have planned a better view for changing your tire.
unpacking the whole trunk to get to the spare was the best part....
We eventually made it to Fish Hoek and got settled in to our B&B. Jacinda and Matt did a wonderful job in booking this place. They spent a few days at the same place a few months prior with their mission group and apparently made good friends with the owners, because we got a great deal on the best room in the whole place. We actually had two rooms on the first night because there wasn't a bed for me in the one, and we had to move the next night anyway. To sum up, our first night in Fish Hoek we had an ocean view, two bedroom suite AND another two bedroom for under $90. Happy Birthday to me! (it really was my birthday that night).
After we got settled in, we went to a little restraunt called Harborview (?) for birthday dinner...only to find out that all the food was 1/2 price because it was off-season! Needless to say, we splurged a bit, ordering a cheese tray, entrees, a couple bottles of wine and dessert. Not a bad day. The next day we decided we were going to head to the Cape of Good Hope, the most Southwestern tip of Africa. On our way, we stopped at Boulder Beach to see the penguins. It was a fun little stop. There were a ton of them out and about, including a few baby penguins. As we were leaving, the penguin guarding the gate (literally) tried to bite dad's foot off. Luckily, his feet are huge and the penguin couldn't fit the size 13 Reebok Classic into his beak. After the penguins though, we decided the weather wasn't nice enough to go to the Cape of Good Hope, so instead we drove to Cape Town for a little shopping. Most of the places were fine, but the shops that sell the hand-made stuff with the makers sitting by their work was a little too much for me. The stuff was interesting, but it's so hard to just look around and find something you actually want to buy when the people work so hard to sell you stuff. I understand they have to make a living, but when they pick a random item off the shelf, hand it to you, and say "I give you good price," I get a little annoyed. Enough about that though. After shopping, we stopped at a chain restraunt called Ocean Basket. Everyone enjoyed their meal, but about 30 seconds after stepping inside, I decided I was done with seafood for the rest of the trip.
Normally I would wrap this up in a more cohesive way, but I've got to get going and I want to give my loyal readers something to quell their appetites! Next up we will be visiting the Cape of Good Hope, Table Montain, Montague, and Oudtshoorn.
Also, I am moved in to my new place in St. Louis. I still have some organizing to do, but I will soon put up some pictures of the place with stuff in it!
I hope everyone is well!!!
unpacking the whole trunk to get to the spare was the best part....We eventually made it to Fish Hoek and got settled in to our B&B. Jacinda and Matt did a wonderful job in booking this place. They spent a few days at the same place a few months prior with their mission group and apparently made good friends with the owners, because we got a great deal on the best room in the whole place. We actually had two rooms on the first night because there wasn't a bed for me in the one, and we had to move the next night anyway. To sum up, our first night in Fish Hoek we had an ocean view, two bedroom suite AND another two bedroom for under $90. Happy Birthday to me! (it really was my birthday that night).
After we got settled in, we went to a little restraunt called Harborview (?) for birthday dinner...only to find out that all the food was 1/2 price because it was off-season! Needless to say, we splurged a bit, ordering a cheese tray, entrees, a couple bottles of wine and dessert. Not a bad day. The next day we decided we were going to head to the Cape of Good Hope, the most Southwestern tip of Africa. On our way, we stopped at Boulder Beach to see the penguins. It was a fun little stop. There were a ton of them out and about, including a few baby penguins. As we were leaving, the penguin guarding the gate (literally) tried to bite dad's foot off. Luckily, his feet are huge and the penguin couldn't fit the size 13 Reebok Classic into his beak. After the penguins though, we decided the weather wasn't nice enough to go to the Cape of Good Hope, so instead we drove to Cape Town for a little shopping. Most of the places were fine, but the shops that sell the hand-made stuff with the makers sitting by their work was a little too much for me. The stuff was interesting, but it's so hard to just look around and find something you actually want to buy when the people work so hard to sell you stuff. I understand they have to make a living, but when they pick a random item off the shelf, hand it to you, and say "I give you good price," I get a little annoyed. Enough about that though. After shopping, we stopped at a chain restraunt called Ocean Basket. Everyone enjoyed their meal, but about 30 seconds after stepping inside, I decided I was done with seafood for the rest of the trip.
Normally I would wrap this up in a more cohesive way, but I've got to get going and I want to give my loyal readers something to quell their appetites! Next up we will be visiting the Cape of Good Hope, Table Montain, Montague, and Oudtshoorn.
Also, I am moved in to my new place in St. Louis. I still have some organizing to do, but I will soon put up some pictures of the place with stuff in it!
I hope everyone is well!!!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
South Africa Part I
The trip to SA kicked off with a tap of the snooze button at quarter to REM cycle in the morning on Tuesday, May 12. Before I knew it, we were out the door and on a shuttle to Chicago, anxiously awaiting our 4 flights and 3 hour layovers. The flight between Chicago and D.C. set a good tone for the trip with an in-flight episode of "The Office." Unfortunately, my luck did not hold, for when we boarded our international flight, I was lucky enough to have the window seat next to 'that fat guy that travels by himself with the tour groups and doesn't bring anything to do on the flight and instead talks to the person sitting next to him even when that person is wearing headphones and in the middle of a movie'.....if you don't know what I mean, think John Candy in PT&A. He was a nice enough guy, but I did switch with my mom (so I could have an aisle seat) after the first 8 hours at our layover in Senegal. The next 8 hours and the flight to Port Elizabeth were painless enough, but the 31 hours of traveling did get to me a bit. Mom was a wreck when Jacinda and Matt met us at the airport, even though dad and I told her they would.
In the morning, we had to fight the horrible jetlag and get up nice and early for a braai (cookout) at their pastor's house. The food was excellent and we met a lot of the people that have been involved in Jacinda and Matt's lives in SA. Later that afternoon we went down to the waterfront and enjoyed a little time on the beach. The whole day was quite an experience, mainly because of the driving. We picked up our Mercedes rental car in the morning before the braai and dad drove for the day. SA is one of the countries that drives on the left side of the road, so it made for an interesting first day. Mom was yelling at dad, I was yelling at mom for yelling at dad, dad was trying to keep from yelling at both of us for yelling.....and we then decided mom would be driving for the rest of the trip.
The next morning, we went to the creche (daycare/pre-school type of thing) that Jacinda and Matt work at. It was an interesting experience, but after an hour of screaming kids and the annoying warden lady that kept trying to give us bad directions and plan our trip for us, I was ready to go. After the creche, we left Port Elizabeth and got on The Garden Route on our way to Cape Town. After about an hour and a half, we came to one of the highlights of the trip: The Bloukrans Bridge and the World's Tallest Bungy Jump! 216 meters of pure adrenaline...that's almost a 70 story building!
We got to the bridge and got all signed up for the bungy jump, but then had to wait about an hour before we went out onto the bridge. We did get to see a few jumpers go from the overlook area, so this helped build the excitement. When it was finally our time to go to the middle of the bridge, we were pumped! Unfortunately, we had to walk a little catwalk cage underneath the bridge which was basically the equivalent of walking on chicken wire. I was ready to piss myself and we weren't even to the jump zone yet. After what felt like 10 miles, we made it out to the middle of the bridge and started jumping. Matt was the first to go, braving the unknown and plummetting to his imminent death. Luckily, he was able to avoid the jagged rocks and shallow water awaiting him at the bottom of the ravine and gave the rest of us a boost of courage. After watching a few strangers go, dad stepped up to the edge. He had the most awe-inspiring leap off of that bridge and would have fit in perfectly had a flock of eagles soared past at the same moment.
Unfortunately, I had to follow up dad's stellar bungy jumping performance. After watching a few of the strangers "jump" (basically fall) off of the bridge I had decided that I would have a jump that rivaled my father's. As I got strapped in and helped to the edge, I was surprisingly calm, focused on what would undoubtedly be the greatest minute or two of my life. Not even when I curled my toes over the edge and looked down to see where I would soon be falling to my death, did I get scared. I was prepared for an epic jump and a huge rush of adrenaline. They take my arms off of their shoulders and start to count down: FIVE FOUR THREE TWO ONE JUMP!!!!! I bend my knees and spring forward and up 15 feet away from the bridge....or so it felt. Turns out I did bend my knees, but somewhere in the split second that motion took, my body realized what I was about to make it do, and it fought back. I ended up crumpling off the bridge just like a swore I wouldn't. Nevertheless, I was still falling...and fast. As soon as my body began to turn over and the wind caught my cheeks, I realized that this was the biggest mistake of my life and that I would soon be dead. I distinctly remember wanting to yell "OH SH*T" but I don't think I was able to get the sound out. Lucky for me (and you!), the cord caught and I was safe.
Jacinda was up next and had a solid jump with the best scream I heard all day. Although it was a lot different than I had expected, it was a wonderful experience and I'm definitely glad I did it...even if my life did flash before my eyes.
I know I only got through the first few days of the trip, but I'll post again tomorrow and try to get a larger chunk of the trip up. Hopefully I can do the rest in only two more segments. Thanks for reading and sorry for taking so long to get this stuff up here. As I told Julie, my college days are over, but that doesn't mean I can't still procrastinate!
p.s. check facebook soon for more pictures!
In the morning, we had to fight the horrible jetlag and get up nice and early for a braai (cookout) at their pastor's house. The food was excellent and we met a lot of the people that have been involved in Jacinda and Matt's lives in SA. Later that afternoon we went down to the waterfront and enjoyed a little time on the beach. The whole day was quite an experience, mainly because of the driving. We picked up our Mercedes rental car in the morning before the braai and dad drove for the day. SA is one of the countries that drives on the left side of the road, so it made for an interesting first day. Mom was yelling at dad, I was yelling at mom for yelling at dad, dad was trying to keep from yelling at both of us for yelling.....and we then decided mom would be driving for the rest of the trip.The next morning, we went to the creche (daycare/pre-school type of thing) that Jacinda and Matt work at. It was an interesting experience, but after an hour of screaming kids and the annoying warden lady that kept trying to give us bad directions and plan our trip for us, I was ready to go. After the creche, we left Port Elizabeth and got on The Garden Route on our way to Cape Town. After about an hour and a half, we came to one of the highlights of the trip: The Bloukrans Bridge and the World's Tallest Bungy Jump! 216 meters of pure adrenaline...that's almost a 70 story building!
We got to the bridge and got all signed up for the bungy jump, but then had to wait about an hour before we went out onto the bridge. We did get to see a few jumpers go from the overlook area, so this helped build the excitement. When it was finally our time to go to the middle of the bridge, we were pumped! Unfortunately, we had to walk a little catwalk cage underneath the bridge which was basically the equivalent of walking on chicken wire. I was ready to piss myself and we weren't even to the jump zone yet. After what felt like 10 miles, we made it out to the middle of the bridge and started jumping. Matt was the first to go, braving the unknown and plummetting to his imminent death. Luckily, he was able to avoid the jagged rocks and shallow water awaiting him at the bottom of the ravine and gave the rest of us a boost of courage. After watching a few strangers go, dad stepped up to the edge. He had the most awe-inspiring leap off of that bridge and would have fit in perfectly had a flock of eagles soared past at the same moment.
Unfortunately, I had to follow up dad's stellar bungy jumping performance. After watching a few of the strangers "jump" (basically fall) off of the bridge I had decided that I would have a jump that rivaled my father's. As I got strapped in and helped to the edge, I was surprisingly calm, focused on what would undoubtedly be the greatest minute or two of my life. Not even when I curled my toes over the edge and looked down to see where I would soon be falling to my death, did I get scared. I was prepared for an epic jump and a huge rush of adrenaline. They take my arms off of their shoulders and start to count down: FIVE FOUR THREE TWO ONE JUMP!!!!! I bend my knees and spring forward and up 15 feet away from the bridge....or so it felt. Turns out I did bend my knees, but somewhere in the split second that motion took, my body realized what I was about to make it do, and it fought back. I ended up crumpling off the bridge just like a swore I wouldn't. Nevertheless, I was still falling...and fast. As soon as my body began to turn over and the wind caught my cheeks, I realized that this was the biggest mistake of my life and that I would soon be dead. I distinctly remember wanting to yell "OH SH*T" but I don't think I was able to get the sound out. Lucky for me (and you!), the cord caught and I was safe.
Jacinda was up next and had a solid jump with the best scream I heard all day. Although it was a lot different than I had expected, it was a wonderful experience and I'm definitely glad I did it...even if my life did flash before my eyes.
I know I only got through the first few days of the trip, but I'll post again tomorrow and try to get a larger chunk of the trip up. Hopefully I can do the rest in only two more segments. Thanks for reading and sorry for taking so long to get this stuff up here. As I told Julie, my college days are over, but that doesn't mean I can't still procrastinate!
p.s. check facebook soon for more pictures!
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