A Random Assortment

This is just a random assortment of some of the things/activities I have been doing in the past couple of weeks. Cape Town has been busy as ever, and we are trying to take advantage of all that it has to offer.

One of my favorite outings in Cape Town involves wandering through all the different markets. From food to clothes and some other strange things inbetween, these markets have it all. The one in particular some of my housemates and I enjoy frequenting is the Old Biscuit Mill Market. This market is only open on Saturdays, and offers a range of the most delectable food I have seen (and tasted) as well as different items from local artists and designers. We have decided that we need to keep returning so that we can taste food from all the different booths. This past time Duke and I decided to chow down on some scrumptous homemade waffles.

Topped with chocolate, syrup, caramel, and homemade whipped cream-yum

Duke and me with our waffles!

Dear all foodies out there- this market is the market of your dreams. Not only are there endless food options, but also an assortment of drinks, bakery items, and condiments to take home too.

This past weekend a group of us traveled down to Camps Bay Beach to watch the sunset, scope out some ice cream, and then talk while the stars came out. It happened to be quite cloudy  that night, but the sunset was still beautiful. 

Chatting on the beach with ice cream in hand reminded me just how lucky I am to be here experiencing this country with such a great group of people. There are many more sunsets (or sundowns as they're referred to here) to be seen, but this was a pretty great one. The next morning six of us girls from the house decided to take on Table Mountain (the last of the three main hikes-Devil's Peak, Table Mountain, and Lion's Head). What started out to be an enjoyable hike turned into a scramble to the top trying to beat the rain. As we reached the midpoint of our hike, a large cloud rolled over the mountain enveloping us in fog, rain, and cold (relatively, of course, I know it's still snowing back home). Because I had not brought a jacket and none of us wanted to risk slipping on the way down, we decided to ride the Cable Car down. Our two hour hike up the mountainside was reduced to a three minute ride. 

Wet, cold, and still smiling mountaineers!

Cable Car ride back down

Although our hike was a success, we have resolved to come back and hike the trail again when there will be better visability from the top. The view would have been amazing, but the fog and clouds prevented us from seeing much of anything.

Other than that, service and school have been in full swing with tiring days at iThemba Labantu, tests, and papers. However, that all comes to a pause at the end of this week. Early Friday morning I leave for my midsemester trip- a roadtrip along the coast and ending with a Safari near Johannesburg. The trip promises to be full of adventure and beautiful scenery. I will be without a computer for about a week and a half to two weeks. Therefore, this will be my last blog post until I return from the midsemester trip. Stay tuned for a recounting of the tales from my trip!