Day 19: Mark's Hometown

Yesterday was our first full day in Kimberley. We finally made it to Mark's hometown. It is pretty cold here! Better than sweating in America though.

First, we went to the new mall in town. It's small compared to others we've been too on the trip, but there was a cool, little skate shop there that Mark bought a board from. He seems happy with it.

After the mall, Mark took us down memory lane. We went to a couple of the skate spots that he and friends would skate a lot. We went to his old house. He says it's nothing like he remembers. There are tall, grey walls with electrical fencing along the top surrounding the house. We took a peek over the fence and Mark said that the house looks the same, but the yard is different now.

An elderly lady (Jason Katz's grandmother) from across the street noticed we were peeking over the fence and told us to stop because she was afraid that we'd get electrocuted. The lady ended up knowing Mark's parents and Mark had a short and sweet conversation with her.

We headed towards the other mall in town and spent the rest of our day there at a Mugg & Bean since it was so cold outside. Kyle and Mark got endless cups of coffee, and we watched the Olympics. Two of Mark's childhood friends, Michael and Alron, came by and hung out for a while. We just sat, talked, and watched more of the Olympics. Gymnastics was on. It was intense.

Alron gave us a ride back to the Parker's (the family we are staying with), and we were greeted with a delicious meal. We met Michelle, Andrew's wife, and their two daughters, Keren and Sarah. They are a really nice and hospitable family. We had good conversation over dinner and later, tea.

The Parkers went to bed a little later and left Kyle, Mark, and me in the family room. Most of the time we just sat in silence. Mark was surfing the web for snowboarding equipment, Kyle was reading Winnie The Pooh, and I was writing for the blog. I actually think we are doing the same exact thing right now. Well, Mark was taking pictures.

Day 18: Traveling to Kimberley

Sunday morning we had breakfast at Arnold's. I know you're thinking, "You guys ate with the former governor of California?" No, we didn't. He wasn't at his South Africa house, he's too busy doing stuff like, "The Expendables 2". We just raided his kitchen. It was a good breakfast.

Afterwards, we drove up by table mountain and enjoyed the view for a while. Then we were off to the bus station. We gave Brent's car another push and weren't able to get it started. Some guys working up near table mountain had to help us get it going. I tried to film what I could of the situation.

On the way to the train station, at a stop sign, the car died. Again, we had to get out and push in the middle of traffic. Luckily, it started right away. We made it to the train station, unloaded our luggage, and said our thank you's and goodbyes to Brent. Already miss that guy.

We got our tickets, got on the bus, and were on our way to Kimberley. The ride consisted of:

-Coffee
-Cookies
-2 Crying Babies
-and 4 movies: "She's The Man", "Daddy Day Care", "Speed 2: Cruise Control", and "17 Again" (They couldn't play the first Speed movie since it had to do with a bus).

We arrived in Kimberley at about 1:30am and were picked up by Andrew, a family friend of Mark's. He took us back to his family's home and we went straight to bed. The family has been great to us by the way.

Day 17: Last day in Cape

Saturday we woke up, got ready, and were out of the house by 10:00am. We went down to Kalk Baai (Bay) and Mark met up with some old family friends. Brent, Kyle, and I did some shopping at local stores along the coast there. The places had really cool things. A lot of antique shops. It's too bad we can't bring a lot of stuff back with us.

It was another chill day. Mark met up with us later and we finished moseying through the different shops. We also stopped and listened to some live music. I paid a few rands and filmed them, but the wanted me to pay them a R100. They told me that I was going to enjoy it later, so I should pay more. I said, "You guys are getting free promotion when I share this, so we're even."

After shopping, we left and Brent asked us if we wanted to get ice cream by the beach. We all were hesitant, partially because of my lactose-intolerance, but he said, "We're going anyway." So we had some of the best ice cream I have ever had...on the beach...and Brent took pictures of a little kid (with the parent's permission).

We went back to Brent's flat, made lunch, laid around, and talked. Mark slept. After being lazy for a few hours we decided to go back into town for one last dinner with Brent. We went to a pizzeria called Rafiki's which was very good. We watched the Olympics for a while and just talked and goofed.

We had a really nice time at Rafiki's, on our second double date of the week, and decided to call it a night. Like I said before, at this point we've had to push start Brent's car every time he'd turn it off. So, here we go for another push. We get it going down a fairly steep hill with about 100 yards in length to get it started. Brent is not able to get it going, so Kyle, Mark, and I began to chase him down the hill because the road levels off to a stop sign. Finally, we catch up to Brent at the stop sign and are laughing hysterically. We began to push him again through an unavoidable, very busy street and are still laughing because we are holding up traffic pretty badly. We thought we were done and there was no way the car was going to start. Luckily, after about 30 more yards of pushing the car, Brent never gave up and got it to go. We all hopped in and went home.

P.S. I don't think I will ever eat a whole bunny chow in one sitting again. Ever.

P.S.S. We also saw a rugby player with no pants.

P.P.P.S. Below is a picture of all the food we took on the day of the shark dive.

Day 16: Cape Thrill Fest 2012

Friday, we woke up at 7:30am and hit the road by 8:30am. It was a long drive to the shark dive meeting place, but we made it just in time. They had a light breakfast ready for us and we took advantage.

The workers gave us our safety briefing and on to the boat we went. After about a 15 minute ride, we reached our shark point. They dropped the cage in and drew in the sharks with a giant tuna head and a seal decoy named Gladys, (named after the captain's ex-wife). It seemed like forever before we saw the first great white. When it finally showed up, we got so pumped. Kyle, Mark, Brent, and I were in the second group to get into the water. I was so nervous. We climbed into the cage and went under. Nothing. We came back up for a little bit and went back down again. Nothing. Then the shark tempter called out, "Everybody down!" We dropped down into the water and there was the huge beast. Swimming right at us.

The shark was graceful. From inside the cage I felt completely safe watching the it swim around. I got the straight on eye contact with shark at one point when it was about 10-15 feet in front of me. That's what gave me chills, and maybe the fact that the water was very cold.

The shark dive was much less scary than the bungee jump, it was actually pretty relaxing with a mixture of adrenaline. We got the best of both worlds. Mark, Kyle, and I went into the cage three different times, and each time the sharks (there were up to 3 at a time swimming around us) would get closer to the cage. We could have easily reached out and touched it a number of times. The whole experience seemed unreal. Another "I shouldn't be alive after this" situation. It was awesome. We also took home as many snacks as we could sneak away after the dive: chips, safari fruit and oat bars, safari fruit sticks, apples, bananas, fruit drinks, and whatever else. We needed to stock up.

We were extremely tired after the shark dive, and went back to Brent's to recuperate. After some relaxing and dinner (which included our failed attempt at making homemade potato chips, we headed to the coffee/art exhibit/skate spot to try and make our way in. When we arrived, the first person we saw was the lady who denied us the night before. We were greeted with her stating "So you guys came back." in her South African accent. She told us that there was no one in the back to gives us the okay to skate. We sat there in awkward silence for a while as our hope to skate the mini ramp went further and further into the ground.

The young, hipster lady looked up at us, flicked the cigarette in her right hand and said, "You guys have to promise not to mess with anything back there. It's our office space as well." We all pretty much agreed in unison, "We promise." She responded, "I'm glad you guys came back like you said you would. Just go back there and if anyone gives you any trouble, just tell them Maggie told you it was okay." Maggie ended up being pretty cool.

We began our private skate session and had an awesome time. Kyle got some video and pictures and Brent took some pictures as well. It all lasted for about an hour and a half. After we skated we decided to look for the perfect dance party to end the night.

We stopped by about four places and weren't feeling it. Brent suggested one last place but we didn't go inside. The five of us (David was with us again) sat in Brent's car and contemplated going home after such a tiring day. Brent said, "It's your guy's only Friday night here, so it's your choice." I stated, "I want everyone to be into it if we go inside, but it's been a long day, so maybe it's a good idea if we just go home and get some good sleep." Right after saying that, Mark responds with, "Let's just do it." So we parked, unbuckled our seat belts, and went for it.

DJ Hazer had the music blaring and luckily I had my earplugs in my ear holes. Like Holiday Murray, I probably wouldn't listen to the DJ outside the situation, but he was awesome at what he did and had the whole crowd going crazy. There was dancing, jumping, crowd surfing, people hanging from the rafters (literally); it was a mad house. The five of us were in the center of it all dancing like fools.

After DJ Hazer, we went back to Brent's and went straight to sleep as usual.

P.S. We've had to push start Brent's car for about 3 days now.

Day 15: Cape Chill Fest 2012 / Moonlight Mass

Yesterday was, as the title states. A Chill Fest. We hung around the house the whole day since Brent had school. It was much needed though.

We got to sleep in again, but as late as we wanted. We made lunch: toast, eggs, avacado, mushrooms, cheese (not for me), juice, and/or tea.

After lunch, we cleaned the house, then went shopping and picked up some food for the rest of the week.

The day seemed as if it would be great and nothing would go wrong. As we reached the evening, the three of us were relaxing with tea and snacks before Brent came home. It was quiet and peaceful. Then from across the room, Kyle and I hear, "No...no...no, no, no, no." Our ears perked up and we reacted immediately to what we saw.

Mark had spilled hot tea all over Brent's lap top. We instantly took it outside and got all the liquid out that we could. Mark stayed inside and cleaned up the rest of the spill. We have yet to turn it back on because we don't want to chance crossing any circuits (tech talk for transferring the floppy to the hard disk gigaram). It is currently turned upside on a towel on Brent's desk. We still might try the rice trick. Hoping for the best. Brent's not even mad; what a great guy. Also, it gives him an excuse to get a Mac. The spill has been a new joke.

After letting Brent know the situation, we got ready for the night. Moonlight Mass was our adventure. It is a 9:00pm-late night bike ride that happens in Cape Town every full moon. Before the starting of the ride, a bunch of local companies around town use the event to promote themselves. The first company we went to was named the Field Office. There, we got free pizza and coffee. Get this, no catch. No emails or addresses had to be written down. No guest list to be on. No proving you liked their page on Facebook. No call in your order before showing up. Just free stuff. It was awesome. Next, we went and got some free coffee at Deluxe. Really good coffee and again, really free.

This event had plenty of sponsors, one of them being Levi's, so the companies weren't getting jipped. They gained some great promotion and created buzz about themselves. Pluses for everyone! I hope the event continues and that local companies keep being the face of it.

Anyways, after the free stuff, we picked up our rental bikes, and met with all the other bikers in one spot. There were so many bikers. It was unbelievable. Way more than I anticipated. The bike ride started, and after everyone was moving at the right pace, the whole ride was super relaxing.

The bike ride ended and we returned our bikes. After that, Brent, Mark, and Kyle got milkshakes at Pickwicks (which has the tag line: Eat Your House). I got fried mushrooms. All were good.

After our snacks, we stopped by a coffee/art exhibit/skate spot in town called Clark's. We went to check out the skate spot in the back, but a lady who worked there made it obvious that we weren't wanted, so we left. They said to come back tomorrow night (which is tonight), so we'll see what happens.

Again, to end the night, the four of us headed back to Brent's and went to bed. It was a nice night.

P.S. We had to shove Kyle in the trunk (aka boot) last night so we could bring Brent's bike into town with us.

Day 14: Holicape Murray

Yesterday, we left the house by 9:30am to go swim with penguins at Boulder Beach. This was also included in our drive along the peninsula that we took. It is a gorgeous drive.

Sadly, the penguins weren't doing much swimming. But they were hanging out very close to a gate that we were walking by. So we got some good video and pictures. I really wanted to swim with penguins though.

From Boulder Beach we headed to The Cape of Good Hope, which consists of Cape Point and a bunch of other areas you can check out that are really nice. We walked up to the light house where we had and awesome view of the oceans. We were able to see the Indian Ocean as well as the Atlantic Ocean.

We hiked some more to get closer to the tip of Cape Point and made it to another viewing spot. We almost continued to the actual tip of Cape Point, but had to leave in order to make it in time to jump off of a huge cliff into the ocean.

On our way there, we received a call from Brent's friend saying that it wasn't safe to go jump since the swell was too big, so we just decided to go eat some lunch on a dock. Slap Chips is what Brent wanted. Soggy fries on a bun.

Since we weren't doing the jump, Brent suggested that we hike up Lion's Head (one of the highest lookout points in Cape Town). It was a long journey up and down, but worth it for the view, the good conversations, and lots of laughs. We got to watch a beautiful sunset from about the halfway point up the mountain. It was pretty trippy when we imagined the water was snow. Mark said, "I don't think I've ever watched the sun go all the way down." I don't think I have either. It was nice.

After a couple of semi-failed missions throughout the day, it felt good to finally accomplish one by making it to the top of Lion's Head. And like I said before, the view was awesome. We ate some oranges at the top, hung out for while, and headed down.

Off to Stellenbosch we went for a concert that starred a band called, Holiday Murray. It was a lot fun. They were good! I don't know if I'd listen to them outside the concert, but they were great musicians and put on a great show! Here is one of their music videos: http://blog.onesmallseed.tv/index.php/holiday-murray-jirey-music-video/

After the concert, we went and got something to eat and headed back to Brent's. We were wiped from our long day and went straight to sleep.

P.S. I forgot to mention that Mark almost cried when Jeff and Lynn Holder surprised us with koeksusters, a popular desert here, upon our arrival in George.

Day 13: Escape

Tombstone Pete. That guy. We'll get to him later.

Two days ago started with another relaxed morning. It was also a rainy day. But it wasn't that bad. It just messed around with us throughout the day.

We went into town, met up with David, another one of Mark's childhood friends, and got some lunch. We went to this Eastern food place. Kyle and Brent got falafels. Mark, David, and I got bunny chows. So much food.

After lunch we went to the waterfront and just walked around for a while. Brent also took some pictures. Hopefully they come out alright.

Back to Brent's house we went to create our mission for the evening. Brent has been awesome by the way. It's great to be with a local here. We found out about some live blues music playing downtown and went for it. Tombstone Pete. That's all that mattered. This show was so awkwardly funny and horrible. The concert consisted of:

-The lead man of the main act also being the opening act.
-The second act, Tombstone Pete, flashing the crowd his chest about 5 times.
-Tombstone Pete sharing his story about having no money and gum disease in London.
-Tombstone Pete playing the same slap/percussion guitar songs over and over.
-Tombstone Pete hip thrusting the air.
-Bass McGee crazy staring some girls down.
-Us leaving during the main act.

After leaving the concert, we started walking towards the car and luckily Kyle looked to his right. Right on the other side of the glass inside this pub we were passing, a man had just puked into his hand. Right after puking into his hand, he completely lost control and puked all over the window. It was like watching an animal in a aquarium! All while this is happening, the song "Wonder Wall" was being played by a cover band inside the pub. We will never feel the same about that song. It has been a running joke in the group since it happened.

We headed home and went straight to bed.

P.S. Thank you everyone for the prayers. It means a lot to us.

P.P.S. "Bass McGee looked exactly like Toby McGuire as an evil elf king from Lord of the Rings."- Kyle