Days 5 & 6: Cape Town

Well folks, Mitch, Cameron, and I just returned from Cape Town.  It was absolutely amazing.  I'm just going to give the quick rundown since we did so much, and I have little time for a recap.

Day 5: 100% chance of rain.

1. Started the morning by not waking up to the alarm we set.  In a panic, woke everyone up and rushed everyone to the airport.
2. Arrived in Cape Town wearing shorts, only to realize it was absolutely frigid there.  Flight attendants made fun of me.
3. Checked into our three bedroom guest house run by a man named Vic.  Very strange man.
4. Went to breakfast at Mimi's which was absolutely phenomenal.  Bacon abroad is a lot better than bacon in the states.
5. Took the train into town, and we were surrounded by some hardcore soccer talk.
6. Walked around Fan Fest for a bit.  Walked by City Hall where Mandela gave both his first speech after being released from Robben Island and after he was elected president.  They didn't let us in the building though.
7. And then it started pouring.  We headed over to the Castle of Good Hope, which is right in the middle  of the city and was used as a fort for the East India Trading Company.
8. Headed over to the District 6 Museum.  We learned about how people were displaced to make room for white people during Apartheid.  
9. Took a ridiculously cheap taxi over to the VA Waterfront which was absolutely beautiful.  Walked around for a bit, seeing Mitchell's Pub, seeing the Nelson Mandela gateway to Robben Island (couldn't go across due to weather), and saw some really cool street performers. 
10. Ate dinner on the waterfront at Belthazar.  Had a Game Kabob which consisted of Wildebeast, Impala, Springbok, and Kudu.  Also, had a couple prawns.  An absolutely delicious meal, with Wildebeast being my favorite.

Day 6: Table Mountain, UCT, Green Point and Long Street.

1. Woke up and went to Mimi's again.  It was just too good not to go back.
2. Headed by cab over to Table Mountain.  Ten times more cold than the day before.  We go to the top, and despite my fear of heights, loved every minute of it.  Great view of the entire city.  Got some great photos.
3. Took a cab from Table Mountain over to University of Cape Town.  The campus was really beautiful.  Cammy regretted not transferring there Sophomore year (ouch).
4. Took a cab from UCT over to Green Point where we enjoyed the sunset and breathtaking view of the Green Point Light House.  Walked all the way back to the VA Waterfront.
5. Cammy picked out some African pop CDs.  We also found out that Spain lost then (WOW).
6. Went over to Long Street, which is the main strip in Cape Town to catch Bafana Bafana play against Uruguay with all the South Africans.  We ended up going to Mama Africa for the game where we met our bartender who guided us through the rest of the evening.  Cammy got a prawn curry, and Mitch and I went with some more mixed game kabob, this time featuring Croc, Springbok, Ostrich, Kudu, and something called a game sausage (I don't know what it was made of, and I don't think I want to).  The food again was terrific.  
7. The Marimba Band began to play some of the USA's greatest hits including, "Paradise" by Genesis, "You Raise Me Up" by that opera guy, and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."  The singer needs to be signed in the states.  The guy hit two different octaves throughout that were on the opposite end of the spectrum. Each slow song we broken up by a ridiculously fast dance break in the middle.  Luis, you would have loved it.
8. The game sucked, but overall, it was my favorite night of the trip thus far.  We tipped our bartender very well, and he brought us over some free Springbok shots.  Then meet some other Americans from LA, Chicago, and NY who told me the score of the Lakers Game 6.  Great way to finish the night.

As far as today, not sure what's on tap yet, but hope to figure it out when Cammy wakes up.

Goodbye for now.

-Ryan