Year: 2012

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Father-Son Trip

Just finished my last first semester of grad school, and I’m off to make the most of winter break.  The break begins on a trip with my dad in Israel and Jordan.  After a long flight over the Atlantic and through the Mediterranean, I arrive at Tel Aviv International Airport at sunrise, figure out which train I am supposed to take and eventually wind myself through Tel Aviv before arriving at the David Intercontinental hotel at 8am.  I shower, my dad and I breakfast, and then it’s off to Jerusalem.

At the moment, my jetlag hasn’t caught up to me, but something of this whole situation reminds me (or at least reminds of the often told story) of when the five Steins were traveling in France and were not even allowed a cooling sip of water because that might delay the schedule.  I am not afraid of dehydration, but I am concerned that I might be pushing myself to still be placing one foot ahead of the other by mid-afternoon depending on where this day takes us.

Alas, I am excited to be in Israel, not worried about the overcast, slightly drizzly day, and am prepared for day one of my adventure with dad.

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Onwards to Zim

What are the chances that I run into my old roommate Punit at Gate A23 in Jo-burg Airport, South Africa?  Relatively high considering we planned to do so.  His flight from JFK is a bit delayed making the meet-up slightly more stressful as he appears just ten minutes before the gate closes.

The next couple days I will stay with Punit and his family in Harare, Zimbabwe (“Zim” for short).  As soon as we land in Harare, it is obvious that we are no longer in South Africa.  The runways are shorter, the planes fewer, and the tourists not as plentiful.  We purchase visas, run into a little excitement with our bags, and are greeted by Punit’s family.

After a drive through Harare’s potholed and people-filled streets, we arrive home, an area of quiet and comfort.  Punit’s grandparents greet me, and then soon after putting our bags down, we are offered food.  Food becomes a theme to my stay in Zimbabwe as it is abundant, different from what I’m used to, and delicious.

Within the first hour of landing in Zimbabwe, I am confident that my short stay in this land-locked country will be unforgettable.

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Stay left, hug right

Renting a car in a British-influenced country usually means that I will not be driving on the “right” side of the road.  And to make things slightly more complicated, the steering wheel also switches sides of the car.  My mantra while driving quickly becomes “stay left, hug right” because I need to remember to stay on the left side of the road while still hugging the middle line to make sure I’m staying relatively centered in my lane.

Driving in South Africa 1

Other thoughts from driving in South Africa are as follows:  Big right turns and small left turns.  Ride the shoulder to let others pass.  Tip people who help you park whether you want the help or not.  Every radio station begins each hour with news.  Figuring out if gas at 10.5 rands per liter is a good deal or not (It’s not).  Traffic lights are called robots.

Driving in South Africa with Rain

The drive east along the Garden Route from Cape Town was beautiful, easy and relaxed.  The drive back is a bit more intense.  We go on roads that are slightly more inland, supposed to be a little faster, and take us through incredibly varied terrain.  We pass through farmland, along vineyards, up and over mountains, and in the middle of vast open areas.  Some of these roads are accompanied by sheets of rain so heavy at points that even the windshield wipers at full speed cannot keep up.

Driving in Addo National Park

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Addo Elephant National Park

Addo Elephant

When planning this trip a couple months back, the four of us were debating whether to go to Addo or Kruger.  Kruger is one of the largest game reserves in all of Africa and is one of the more famous parks in the world; therefore, choosing not to go here was a big decision.  The factor leading to this decision is mainly that it is currently the wrong season to visit.  At this time of year, Kruger is supposed to be hot, humid, mosquito-infested, and rainy.  Moreover, the increased rain causes the grass to grow higher making it more difficult to spot wildlife.  We are lucky that we chose to stay away because while at Addo we learned of headlines that read “Hundreds of tourists stranded as Kruger National Park floods“.

Elephant Embrace

While at Addo, we enjoy driving around the park searching for game and finding elephants, zebras, kudu, turtles, ostriches, warthogs and more.  We spend one night at a very comfortable cabin and the second night in equally comfortable tents in the middle of the park.  At one point, we even find a section of the park that is lion-free and walk-able so we take a nice hike.

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The Garden Route

On our way from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape, we make sure to stop at some of the most beautiful coastline that the Africa and the world have to offer.  This stretch of coast is better known as the Garden Route.  Some of the highlights include Mossel Bay Beach where we enjoy a seafood feast at a beachside restaurant called The Pavilion.  Other pit stops include Wilderness and the famous Knysna along the way to our first night’s destination in Plettenberg Bay.  In Knysna, we take a short hike to a beautiful spot to enjoy sunset.  Clasmmates Jan, Carmen, Inessa, and I find a nice quiet hostel in this small town after enjoying a fun open-air dinner.

Mossel Bay

Knysna

On the second day along the Garden Route, we begin by enjoying a relaxed breakfast in Plettenberg before continuing onwards.  Our first stop of the day is at Nature’s Valley Beach.  Nature’s Valley includes two parallel beaches, one next to a fresh water lake and the other facing the ocean.  We walk between the two several times enjoying the warm water and the hot sun.  This wide, sandy beach is a perfect start to the day, which ends at Addo Elephant National Park, where there is a bit of excitement upon arrival as we first go to the wrong entrance and then have to travel along a bumpy dirt road before barely making it in time before the park closes.  We quickly order some food to be ready for us after an evening game drive through the park, and all proceed to pile into an open-air truck to see what wildlife we can find.

Footprints at Nature's Valley

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The Botanical Gardens and Johnny Clegg

Many of us who had just finished our school program spent one evening at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens listening to the South African musician Johnny Clegg.  Clegg’s sounds can probably best be described by imagining an ethnically South African Dave Matthews Band.  We all brought snacks and local wine to this family-friendly concert with its unique backdrop.

Johnny Clegg

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Around Cape Town

The Penguins of Boulders Beach:

Boulders Beach and Penguins

Stellenbosch Vineyards:

Stellenbosch

The Cheetahs of Spier Winery:

Cheetah

Hike to the top of Lion’s Head:

Lion's Head Hike View

Hout Bay:

Hout Bay

Cape of Good Hope:

Me at Cape of Good Hope

Ostrich at Cape of Good Hope

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Setting Table Mountain

Table Mountain 1

Although I hiked to the top of Cape Town’s famous mountain only the other day, I could not resist returning to its summit to enjoy a clear sunset.  Luckily, there is a shortcut to the top by means of a cable car.

Even on a clear day, the table cloth, an appropriately named layer of clouds that fly over Table Mountain every afternoon, appears as the rock of the mountain begins to cool.  The clouds, the mountain, the ocean, and the city all make for an unforgettable sunset.

Table Mountain 2

Table Mountain 3

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From The Mountains to The Sea

I didn’t get enough heights from my paragliding adventure and searched out that dizzying, gut-wrenching feeling caused by looking downwards from great heights the same afternoon after my Lion’s Head paragliding flight.

Cape Town Stadium Roof

The recently built Cape Town Stadium is partially covered by a glass roof, from which we can see Table Mountain on one side, the Atlantic Ocean on the other, the sun above us, and the pitch below us. With the day being close to 40 degrees Celsius in combination with the reflection off the glass, we all feel like we are being slowly cooked. However, I do not come to this realization until retreating back down to a more natural height.

Cape Town Stadium panorama

A fun fact about the stadium’s roof is that it is very flexible and ready for some of Cape Town’s windier conditions. The roof can flex both up and down as well as side to side to accommodate some of Cape Town’s harshest wind conditions.

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Flying into Cape Town

Paragliding over Cape Town

Stefan says to me, “On the count of three, we will start running.  And don’t forget to not sit down.”

“Right,” I reply. “I guess I’m ready.” I ineffectively try to wipe the sweat from my face on this scorcher of day.

I think of all the not-so-reassuring words that fellow flyer and classmate Matt has given me throughout the last couple days in preparation for this moment.  “Even in the worst case scenario, at least there will be little pain.”

I’m waiting for Stefan’s count of three to begin any moment and it feels like I’m waiting forever.  I find myself holding my breath in anticipation until I cannot hold my breath any longer because of my quicker heart rate.  I tell myself that I get more than my money’s worth for these types of adventures assuming that the best measure to use is heart rate per dollar.  My fear of heights causes my heart rate to scale quickly at such moments.

Paragliding Over Cape Town from Andrew Stein on Vimeo.

“One.  Two.  Three.”  We start running and of course I begin to try to sit in my harness well before it is time.  I receive a quick scolding and immediately stand up and resume running.

Before I know what has happened, we are seemingly weightless, Lion’s Head Peak is to our back and Cape Town’s coastline is ahead of us.  We hit a small thermal updraft and climb a little higher before beginning our descent.  Once I feel supported by the parachute above me, I begin to relax and couldn’t be happier that I was convinced to fly via paraglide over this great city.