Day 1: Wednesday, 23-Jan-08 Swartland and Eland’s Bay
I was working on my S2A2 grant frantically, but I realized that there was no way that I could finish and still turn in a quality proposal, especially since I was half asleep. After rushing around hurriedly for a half hour, I showered quickly and polished off a pancake and the remaining granadilla yogurt. I was in Mike’s car with Lily, Sarah, Bonnie, Sindy, Dillon and Andrew. We ended up playing several word games, including one which you dropped clues about a made up compound word consisting of 2 usually unrelated real words. An example would be to give the clue “a famous actor in To Kill a Mockingbird and the end of a children’s tongue twister,” the answer to which would be GrecoryPeckofpeppers. It was really fun, and the drive to our first stop passed quickly.
The first stop was the Swartland, which mainly consists of wheat farms. Mike talked about the agricultural land use history of the area and the impacts of wheat farming on the soil. Major soil erosion occurred as a result of the Wheat Import Ban (1937?) Mike seemed really proud that the solutions to many of the soil erosion problems were offered by a geographer at UCT, Dalton.
Our next stop was at the Eskom nuclear power plant in Koeberg. Pauline, the PR person, talked to us for a length of time about the different types of power plants—coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, experimental wind farms, and solar. Apparently, they were funding research on alternative sources of energy, such as waves, but some of the research may be halted because of the current energy crisis in South Africa. There’s a major energy deficit due to population increases, energy export demands, and many other factors.
It was interesting that she was definitely putting a spin on why Eskom couldn’t pursue wind farms more aggressively because at least around Cape Town, there are pretty high winds every day. One of the policies that has been implemented recently is “load shedding” where different areas around the country have scheduled power cuts, but unfortunately, that schedule is not published or announced! Eskom has a near monopoly on the energy market in South Africa and in most of Africa because they are the cheapest energy provider. However, they are not able to supply enough energy to all of South Africa on top of many other African nations with their current energy production capacity.
The company seems to be a huge force in Africa and globally, but we weren’t able to extract too much technical discussion about annual emissions or daily water usage for the nuclear facility. Being at a nuclear power station reminded me a little bit of being at Argonne. I realized that I didn’t really learn a huge deal about nuclear technology, despite the weekly seminars. However, in some ways I was convinced that nuclear power is safer and more environmentally friendly than many other types of power production because there are no emissions. BUT of course you have to consider the highly radioactive and potentially lethal waste byproducts. And really, no one wants to live next door to a nuclear power plant. (Think of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island…)
After Pauline finished, Hilton, the Koeberg nature preserve manager stepped in. He spoke to us about the challenges of controlling invasive species like eucalyptus trees (a major problem in the Western Cape) or roikraan (a shrubby tree) both of which come from Australia (I think). He also really encouraged us to come back to the preserve to view the flora and fauna, and to try out the biking trails. The photos of different animals found in the preserve such as springbok, elands, and gruysbok (sp?) were really cool. I kept nodding off even though I was interested because of my late evening the night before. He spoke to us about the challenges of controlling invasive species like eucalyptus trees (a major problem in the Western Cape) or roikraan (a shrubby tree) both of which come from Australia (I think). He also really encouraged us to come back to the preserve to view the flora and fauna, and to try out the biking trails. The photos of different animals found in the preserve such as springbok, elands, and gruysbok (sp?) were really cool. I kept nodding off even though I was interested because of my late evening the night before. It was interesting to revisit how nuclear power is produced as well as to think about the possibility of expanding nuclear power production and the added benefit of nature conservancy (Eskom’s stab at promoting it’s green image).
Our last educational stop of the day was at Eland’s Bay. The view from the rock art cave was incredible. Intensely clear blue water, red sandstone rocks, and in the background cave art. The handprints were so small, and Mike explained that the Khoi-Khoi were probably very small in stature. My hand was bigger! The art was usually created under a trance state, probably self-induced though drugs may have been involved. Unfortunately, very little is known about the Khoi-Khoi herders as most were wiped out when other settlers came, and the remaining oral history is patchy at best. However, many of the local people are descendants of the Khoi-Khoi as evidenced in their small stature and distinctive Asian-African facial features.
Our hotel wasn’t far from the cave, and after unpacking we had free time until dinner. Bonnie, Sindy, Trish and I went for a walk along the white sand beaches. It was lovely, but the wind was so fierce that it was actually painful to walk against the wind that was blowing the sand all around. It was a nice exfoliant though! When we returned from our walk, everyone had already left the beach. I thought someone had picked up my sneakers since I didn’t see them so we all walked back to the hotel. After asking around, it seemed that my sneakers were actually lost on the beach! Luckily, Bonnie accompanied me through the cutting sand and we were able to recover not only my sneakers, which were half buried by that time, but funnily enough, Ray’s borrowed hotel towel as well.
After taking a bath and clogging up the drain with sand, it was time for our buffet dinner. Everything was so delicious, can I tell you how tender the beef was? And all of it was of course enhanced by the surrounding environment and company. The power went out halfway through dinner, but eating by dim candlelight only added to the ambience. Sindy, Bonnie, and me split 2 scrumptious chocolate mousse cake slices. Then we played with the fire for a while…
After dinner, most of us headed down to the beach to stargaze and relax. Andrew entertained us for quite a while with a number of songs while we all struggled to think of songs that we all knew. Apparently, collectively we could only come up with about 2 songs for which the majority of us knew more than the chorus. It was sooooo beautiful though on the beach at night, and later on Trish, Jasper, Kyle, and Mayra joined us. Trish and Jasper contributed to the musical portion of the evening, and some of added our two cents with some of the African percussive instruments that Trish brought. Neil Young, the Beatles, and other “oldies but goodies” were the most popular. All in all it was a nearly perfect evening. The only thing we were lacking was an open fire, but looking up at the stars and singing along at the beach was more than enough.
Back at the hotel, around 11 PM, there was a small commotion involving a very drunk man, but Mayra assertively turned down his unappealing invitations to join him downstairs in the “bar”. Ariane, Lily, and I were preparing to go to sleep when we heard another commotion outside. Dillon was locked out of his and Mike’s room so he spent the night in our room. Much to our amusement, we found out that Mike had been in his room that evening, but he apparently hadn’t heard Dillon banging on the door and yelling.
Day 2: Thursday 24-Jan-08 The Cederberg
The "chill house"
We departed Eland’s Bay and headed for the Cederberg preserve. Before arriving at Cederberg, we made a short stop at Verlorenvlei (where the V is pronounced like an ‘f’). Mike gave a short lecture about how a supposedly “pristine” wetland area such as Verlorenvlei was actually significantly impacted by the historical land usage of early Dutch settlers as well as current farmers, many of whom use a pivoting sprinkler and pump watering system. The most visibly abundant wildlife were fragmiates (sp?) reeds and various birds. We only saw one pelican. As we were leaving, Mike took an “alternative” exit, which led us into a really muddy area. Our group had to get out of the car and give the convey a boost, which resulted in most of us getting covered in mud up to our knees. It was actually pretty funny, although the mud was hard to get off.
Our last major stop before Cederberg, was Bird Island where thousands of gannets come to roost each year. It was a really impressive sight to see 15,000+ birds standing in a huddle for the most part. The sounds they made were so loud, and we got a chance to view them up close with binoculars in a nearby observation tower. Apparently, there used to be more than twice the number of birds, but for reasons not yet understood, the number of gannets has been declining in recent years. Currently, I think they have protected status. Historically, the island was used for guano collection, which was a really big business app. more than 100 years ago, but now the area is really supported by mainly fishing and ecotourism.
The drive to Cederberg was scenic, but it was hard to stay awake. Ray and I started talking about my S2A2 application. He is writing my recommendation, which is more than nice. I was a little hesitant to ask him initially, but he was actually really quick to offer his support.
As we got closer to Kromrivier, where our “chalets” were, we observed the intermingling of native fynbos and invasives like the wattle tree. Apparently, before it became a preserve, Cederberg was run by the Dept. of Forestry, which is why there were a few remaining pine stands that will be harvested later. When we arrived at our site, Mayra, Sindy, Bonnie, Trish, and I decided to house together. We were assigned to the food storage house, Fishwaal, (yeah, good planning I know), which was good in that it was a center of activity, but bad because our kitchen received the most abuse.
That first evening we had 2 lecturers. Quentin aka “leopard man” described the work done by the Cape Leopard Trust that he helped set up. His talk centered around the work he had done trying to cooperate with local farmers and convincing them that the leopards were worth saving. Afterwards, Richer (sp?) the manager of the Cederberg and nearby Mijierivier preserve, which covers a massive area talked with us. She stressed the importance of having a protected corridor through which wildlife could travel as well as for integrated park management. The second portion of her talk focused on efforts to preserve the Widdrington cederbergensis, which are on the verge of becoming extinct. These cedars are of course the namesake for the whole region, which may actually be a major contributing factor to why so many resources are going in to the cedar resuscitation project. (Unfortunately, I must say it seems like a losing battle given predicted climate change models (shrinking habitat), and the fact that as of yet no reason for the rapid decline of the cedars has been discovered. The case reminds me of the major decline of eastern hemlocks in the States, but in that case, the woody adelgis was identified as the major tree killer relatively soon after the decline began.
Both speakers joined us afterwards for the very tasty braai, which Saeed and Trish helped us pull off. (Without them, I’m fairly certain we wouldn’t have eaten until 10 PM since the second lecture carried on far past the expected ending time.) Bonnie and I did get to throw the potatoes in the fire at least.
After dinner I got to have a really nice long chat with Quentin about how he found his life’s path in a way. I began by asking how he decided to focus his work on leopards, but he saw through my question pretty easily. I guess I wasn’t as subtle as I thought, and he also seemed to be able to narrow in on exactly why I was asking the question. His answer in a nutshell (which isn’t really doing him justice) was to find your passion, follow it, and other things will fall in to place (such as where am I going to live, how am I going to support myself?) Also, that it’s not important to seek success because again, you will be successful if you end up doing what makes you happiest. I didn’t get to ask him about familial responsibilities or how it’s something of a luxury to be able to study whatever you want in school. However, based on his response, that didn’t really seem to be a major factor in his decision making process. It was definitely an interesting conversation, and he was really interesting to talk to. He told this great story about how marketing is useful, but can also be completely ridiculous (think of adopting a leopard spot and you’ll get the point).
As much as I detest overt manipulation, it’s undeniable how effective and necessary marketing is for any nonprofit or research organization. (As I learned in my brief externship at the WWF a few years back). I’m not sure how that’s going to fit into my life goals or exactly what path I’m setting myself on. But at least I feel that I’m on my way somewhere good. I’m definitely hoping that this time abroad, and wrapped into that a plethora of experiences, challenges, friendships, etc. will help me clear my head and reflect on just what I want to do. I really need some serious reflection and prayer time, but I haven’t been very disciplined in either lately.
After the braai, some people decided to sleep outside. While on the one hand that would’ve been really nice, I couldn’t just turn down a nice bed and protection from bugs, especially since I had melted chocolate all over my blanket.
Day 3: Friday, 25-Jan-08
The main event of the next day was the hike up to see the remaining cedars. It was extremely hot as expected, but the view was well worth it. The rock formations were really intriguing. Although I must say, the cedars were much less impressive than I thought. Probably because the ones that we saw looked like they were dying, and mostly we saw dead trees. It was a bit sad, but it does raise the question as to whether or not the efforts to save them are worthwhile. Especially since, both Jasper and Mike mentioned that the cedars don’t seem to be an essential species to the ecosystem.
It was nice because the Anatolian shepherd dog from the main facilities office followed us part of the way up to the mountain, but being wiser than us, he turned around before it became too hot. Sindy, Maryra, Kyle and me ended up walking in the lead for quite a while. I think that was because we didn’t stop to take as many pictures, and also because for some reason I really like to walk ahead.
It was funny because the place that we stopped to talk was a little shaded cave where Mike had gotten research material from, research material that is basically poop. The euphemism for it is “dassie mitten,” which translates as dassie waste, but it’s pretty much poop. The cool thing about it is that pollen samples contained within years and years of waste buildup can be used to determine what the vegetation of the area may have been like 100s of years ago. It’s such a fascinating idea to use waste in such a way, and it seems like it could provide a huge breakthrough in constructing the natural history of the area as well as providing potential answers to questions about how and why plants in the area evolved in such a way.
In the afternoon, I finally took the plunge and decided to swim in the pool for a while. The water was quite warm actually, which was nice, but it was also deeply rust colored. We were told that the water’s very clean thankfully, but there were definitely a lot of iron deposits so my brand new white bathing suit bottoms became an unpleasant rust color afterwards. But, I guess that I can’t complain too much given that I got to swim in fresh mountain water in a gorgeous outdoor environment.
That evening, the “kids” were in charge of dinner, and Andrew led the way with chili. I helped make rice, which was much more challenging than I thought given that the burners kept turning off every 5 minutes. I became a little concerned that the rice wouldn’t cook, but with enough patience, the little rice kernels plumped up and softened up enough to eat!
After dinner, Mayra gave Jasper her camera and we started taking really nifty long exposure shots where we used multiple lighting schemes to set up really cool photographs. Mike and Ray got in on the act, and the end result were a series of really trippy photos where people show up in two places in the same frame in strange contorted positions. It was really fun and really random, which are usually two of the best combinations.
Day 4: Saturday, 26-Jan-08 Nieuwoudtville
In the morning we left Cederberg, and I was a little sad to have to leave such a beautiful area. Sindy, Bonnie, and I were hand-selected by Saeed to ride in the bakkie. We actually got a really good deal since we probably had the most room, and Saeed is absolutely hilarious we found out. It was funny because I thought he was pretty much a silent kind of guy, and then he started joking around with us.
The car ride was interesting, but the landscape got a little monotonous after a while. We did notice a transition from the fynbos to the succulent karoo vegetation type. But the coolness of the landscape was somewhat overshadowed by the overwhelming heat. When we stopped at Wippedaal (sp?) I was really grateful for a rest. We ate lunch in the shadiest spot we could find, and then we had a short time to walk around the town.
Our first stop was a small soap making business which apparently got a shout out from Oprah in her O magazine, which has really helped spread the business internationally I think. It is currently run by 6 local women who make everything by hand from rooibos tea. The soap smells absolutely amazing to me, and it’s really impressive what these women are doing. Also, I find it somewhat ironic that what is sold here for what can be called “ a song” will probably show up on the shelves of a really exclusive German boutique or British spa for 10 times the amount that we paid. All it cost was a few thousand dollars for a plane ticket I guess. (That puts things in perspective.) The next place we visited was a small shoe factory, also run by local community members, and also mostly manpowered.
I was very tempted to buy a pair of leather hand-made baby shoes as a souvenir, but I’m not quite sure what anyone would do with it. The man showing us around was very nice, and he described the trading pattern that is going on with monthly pick ups. It seems that the business is pretty successful right now. Most of the time, they sell all of the shoes that they make within a month or so. I can’t imagine living in such a small town though. There looked like a handful of buildings, and the heat was truly unbearable. In a way, I think that I should push myself to live in area where things are truly scarce and that is pretty inaccessible, but I also don’t know what purpose that would serve for me other than to toughen me up. I’m not too sure how productive or valuable of an addition to the town that I would make either given that I don’t speak Afrikaans nor do I have any craft making ability.
After our lunch break, we got back in the bakkie. We did make a few pee stops, and then we made a long stop in a small cave. It looked like it had been used as a kraal for hundreds of years, since there was evidence of cave art as well as a few sheep in there. Getting out of the car, our faces were blasted with dry heat, and we found a carcass which made me really worry about the possibility of getting stranded in desert-like conditions! Fortunately, nothing untoward happened on the way, and we arrived in N-ville safe and sounds.
The town was much smaller than I expected, but our accommodations were really lovely. Walking down the main road, I was again struck by the quietness of the surrounding area. There was a small pub that we visited where Mayra, Saeed, Bonnie, and me struck up a small game of darts. I hit the bullseye once, and decided I had to stop while I was ahead or at least not losing.
Before dinner Jasper led an expedition to the quiver tree forest, a ways north of N-ville I think. We stopped at a winter-rain fed waterfall on the way there. It was pretty cool to get off the road and walk a few hundred yards and see this gigantic canyon. It was totally unexpected, and I wished the waterfall had been active, but I could imagine how lovely it must be come winter rainy season. The quiver tree forest was even more breathtaking. The trees themselves were such interesting shapes, and add to that the background of these inspiring mountains. As the sun started lowering, I couldn’t believe how lucky we were. I had to climb to the top of the hill, although everyone else decided to stay at a slightly lower elevation. I felt a little bad sort of abandoning everyone, but I can’t describe how beautiful and incredibly peaceful it was to be at the top of an almost mountain surrounded by quiver trees. The loneliness was sort of beautiful. The only sign of habitation was one small farmhouse a kilometer or more away. The silhouettes created by the quiver trees is definitely the stuff of legend. I didn’t want to leave. I probably took 50 photographs just of the trees and the sunset.
It was such a beautiful view, and I got to thinking how I wished everyone could experience something so wonderful. But then, I thought about how much damage and disturbance is caused by humans trekking up and down the hills where the trees grow. There has to be some sort of regulation and measured balance for how many visitors there are. I really think that the isolation and harshness of the climate are actually really beneficial to the wildlife. It’s such a dilemma for me to want to enjoy “unspoiled nature” while not wanting to damage anything. But for the time being, the quiver forest remains relatively safe, and we were afforded one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen.
Dinner was soooooo delicious and we had a tasty fish called snoek (I think that’s how it’s spelled). Definitely try peppery snoek with an apricot chutney if given the opportunity. Also, add a serving of sweet potatoes, and you have the makings of an unforgettable meal. It was fun to eat together, and Mike was forced to give us a brief autobiography. Ray got a little out of hand with his question about Mike’s most embarrassing moment, but I think we were all curious about how Mike met Allie, so I’m glad that Ray asked.
After dinner, it was time to return to our abode, and we discovered the huge mosquito population. Mayra and I stayed up for quite a while talking, and I didn’t notice the mosquitoes at first. But after a short while, all I could hear was the most incessant and annoying buzzing of mosquitoes by my ears. I tried sleeping with the sheet over my head, but then it got too hot. It was a choice between heat or mosquitoes, and I alternated between the two. Finally, I gave up trying to sleep in my bed and headed to the common area. I set up a makeshift mosquito net by draping the sheets over the small loveseat and a dining room chair. It was somewhat effective until I knocked it down in my sleep I think. But it was one of the least restful nights I have ever had. I HATE mosquitoes, and I would find it very difficult to argue for keeping mosquitoes in existence if there was ever a discovery of a way to eradicate all mosquitoes. I know that every organism has some part in the food web, bur I really hate getting bitten.
Day 5: Sunday, 27-Jan-08 N-ville
We met with Bettina, a community organizer (among other cool things) at 6:30 AM, or something crazy like that. We learned about PGIS (participatory geographical information systems) and how effective and powerful of a tool that can be for small farming communities. I’ve never thought of the potential for PGIS to serve as a social change tool, so it was really cool to hear Bettina speak about the work that her organization is doing in and around N-ville.
Some of the work that’s being done has helped offer legal evidence for land ownership rights for small landholders which they otherwise would not have been able to afford. We also got to participate in a small exercise to map out a nearby rooibos farm in Papkuilsfontein (don’t ask me to say it). The owners were a fairly affluent looking white couple, but they actually turned out to be much more liberal and progressive than I would have imagined. I really respected Mariet (the farmer’s wife) who seemed like a really strong woman.
Our group lucked out and got to map out the cottage area, which was probably the cushiest job of the day. We had an amusing incident in one of the cottages where we tried to locate an information binder about one of the local rare tree species. Trish went into the cottage, which was occupied at the time, although the guests were out for an excursion when we stopped by. However, she felt so guilty about being their when the guests renting the place weren’t there, that she had to exit quickly. However, we realized that she had tracked mud all over the newly cleaned floor, so Mayra went in and saved the day by mopping up all of the tracks with her socks.
After we finished mapping out the area, which was relatively quick (~35 min.), we ended up swimming in a small pool for a while. It was fun to chat with the girls of the “chill house,” and Saeed. We tried to pry some personal information out of him, but all he revealed was that he came from a pretty large family who mostly lived in Cape Town, but he wasn’t close with them. (We must try to dig a little deeper).
After a while, we felt a little guilty since we didn’t know where/when we were supposed to meet the hiking group. Fortunately, Mariet came by in a 4x4 and led us to where we thought we were supposed to meet Zoey, Sarah, and Jasper. We were pretty worried when they didn’t show up because it was such a hot day, and there was no shade anywhere along the section of the trail that they were mapping.
Luckily, everything worked out in the end since we located the hikers who were safe and sound, if slightly dehydrated. Then Mariet, Ray, and me headed to the canyon for a while. I love climbing things, so I got to scramble around the rocks for a bit before running into Jasper, Zoey, Sarah, and Saeed on their way back from the rock pool, which sadly I didn’t get to swim in.
After along hot day, Jasper decided to scrap the survey idea. We were going to try and conduct a survey of N-ville accommodation providers to try and gain an understanding of the impacts of ecotourism on the economy as well as the environment. But, I think our observations may have provided us with enough qualitative if not quantitative information.
In the evening, we had a bit of confusion trying to determine where everyone was going to sleep since some people discovered bed bugs, and none of us wanted to return to a mosquito ridden flat. We went to visit the boys who were staying in a farmhouse just outside of town. Unfortunately, it was really too hot to play any games or to even move for that matter, but we chatted for a while. I definitely will not forget seeing these gigantic spider-like creatures which are apparently carnivorous and not true spiders. If you ever see a solar-fuge (or sun spider) run the other way.
Back at the main house, Sarah, Zoey, Katie, Annie, Mayra and me crashed for the night. And luckily, I didn’t get any bugbites! At the expense of not opening the windows, I think it was worth it.
Day 6: Monday, 28-Jan-08
Last day of the field trip : (. In the morning, we departed fairly early to try and beat the heat. Our destination was the Heiveld co-op just south of N-ville. I LOVED the woman who acted as one of our tourguides. Katrina, alias Tempes, was so spirted and lively at 60+ years, that I felt like such a slacker in comparison. She and her fellow co-op member Maria led us around to some of the small landholdings and described various things about the community as well as the cultivated and wild rooibos grown and harvested on the farms.
We were fortunate enough to get a demonstration of the traditional harvesting method. I got to use the scythe, which I wielded pretty unskillfully. Probably the most labor intensive step of the harvesting process was seed collection.
Seeds are scooped up by hand, but then they have to be sifted through to remove sand and this weird worm poop. All of the sifting is done by hand using water and a coarse and fine meshing screen. I kept trying to think of ways that the process could be sped up, but nothing came to mind without heavy duty machinery. Also, I think after harvesting rooibos for so long, that the people of the co-op had a very good grasp on what was the best process to use.
Along the way to the farms, Maria and Katrina would point out medicinal plants that were traditionally used as pain killers. It was interesting that she said that one of the plants could treat HIV, and we were all a little skeptical. But, later on Jasper mentioned that there is a plant that helps bolster your immune system, so in that it would be a useful HIV treatment. I ate a leaf, and it was absolutely disgusting tasting, but maybe it’ll keep me healthy.
Again, I was struck by the contrasts between my life and the lives of the people living on such harsh yet beautiful land. There was no running water or power lines, but one of the homes that we visited had a solar panel which seemed to be connected to something in the kitchen area.
Apparently, guests can come to stay in the community for a while, and they get fed amazingly simple yet delicious food. It’s a form of agro-ecotourism, but I also think it’s a way for the co-op to advertise and reach an international market.
The only way that the co-op has really been able to succeed is through finding a niche in the fair trade market, and that is now being threatened. It’s interesting to map how certification began as way of trying to equal the playing field in a market for environmentally and socially conscious consumers, but now large farms and corporations are trying to force their way into the niche. It’s hard to say whether certification systems are sustainable given that most man-made things are corruptible. I was really struck by the hospitality of the people that we encountered at the farm.
Granted, breakfast was paid for, but in relatively poor community, we were offered an abundant amount of food. The hearth baked bread was amazing. It was slightly smoky flavored, and it was so simple with either cheese or jam inside, but it was probably one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Food has definitely been a major part of my experience in South Africa so far. It’s something permeates everyone’s life, and it’s a huge component of globalization and environmental impacts so it’s hard to overlook.
Before leaving Heiveld, our group took a photo with Katrina, Maria, and another gentleman whose name I can’t remember at the moment. I was fortunate enough to get a hug from Katrina and an invitation to return during harvesting season. I’m seriously contemplating it, but I’d have to find a way to get back. We parted with waves, and she asked us not to forget them, which made me want to cry.
I’m not sure how everyone else was feeling, but it was a really emotional tour for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed almost every minute of it. The car ride back was much less bumpy since we took a paved road back. Most of the car ride, which I meant to spend sleeping, we ended up playing another guessing game. This time it was to guess a famous person, which you had to determine by stumping the person who was “it,” and earning questions. It was really fun, but there were a few mini-clashes when Katie and I tried to bring in American pop culture “icons” like Nicole Ritchie and people in the car protested. When we finally arrived back at Cape Town, I felt a bit like I had been on an epic journey similar to Frodo and Sam in LOTR. Oddly enough, the house that we’re staying in was called the “Shire” last year because of its location I’m guessing. But also probably because of the quirky residents.
And with that the fellowship of the cedars was ended.
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