Day 1 Lion's Head ascended
Today, we had the privilege of waking up to a beautiful breakfast where the group was able to start the day with good food and even better conversation. After we bonded for the first time on our first day in Cape Town and fueled our bodies for the day, we loaded into a bus and received an amazing lesson from Siviwe about the history of South Africa; we learned that Cape Town is often called “Mother City” because it was the first major city to form in South Africa. This twenty-minute journey led us to our main event for the day - Lion’s Head. Named after its rock formation that mirrors a sitting lion, the hike started with an uphill trek and ended with a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean, pearl-white housing, and nature unknown to our native Southern-Californian ecosystem. Throughout the expedition, we climbed ladders, jumped from boulders, and overcame dehydration and heat.
After it all, we felt more connected through our shared adversity, our time spent together, and our mutual envy of Mr. Caragher’s endurance. Another thing was evident. The 360 outlook aerial views provided us a view of housing from one side of the ocean to the other. There was a clear difference in the socioeconomic status of those we had seen in the townships and those who lived on the coast. On the beach, the wealthiest area of Cape Town, we saw large commercial pools and resorts; every house clearly had the benefit of status, power, and wealth. In the townships, however, we observed housing units with no guarantee of running water or electricity, every wall of every unit providing less than three feet of separation between families.
Walking through the streets of Cape Town on our way to get lunch and then dinner, we explored more of what makes the culture and every-day life survive in the place we came to learn about. Every meal brought the group closer together, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue to learn, teach, and laugh together.
SR, JB, and RS
The first day in South Africa was extremely eventful. Although most people woke up at around 9 and went down to eat breakfast, I stayed in my room to get extra rest from the long flights totaling 20+ hours. After breakfast, the entire group gathered around the lobby and discussed the schedule for the day: driving to a mountain called Lion’s Head and hiking it, walking to a restaurant called Nando’s, coming back to the hotel to rest, and finally going out to eat dinner at Hudson’s Burgers.
Our bus ride to Lion’s Head was around 25 minutes, and upon arriving there we hiked all the way to the top, where we witnessed a breathtaking 360 degree view of Cape Town. The first half of the hike was not too challenging, as it was mainly a flat road, however, as we continued our ascent, the road became steeper, and more difficult to cross, including lots of bouldering and climbing ladders on the steeper ascents. Eventually we reached the top and I would say it was very worth the challenge. The entire hike from start to finish was around 5k.
After the hike, we walked to the city and ate at a famous South African restaurant called Nando’s, which is a restaurant specializing in serving chicken dishes. I ordered sosatie, a chicken kebab and it was delicious.
After our meal, we headed back to the hotel where we would rest and prepare for the walk in the city (I took a nap). After an hour or so, everyone gathered back in the lobby for the walk in the city. Venturing through the city, my group walked through Company Gardens, which was a large park and garden with lots of ducks, geese and albino squirrels. We took a break at a grass field at the end of the park and played Mafia, and a South African game called Rotten Egg; which was very similar to playing Duck Duck Goose.
When the games were finished, we took a time to talk about our thoughts and feelings on the trip and then headed over to the restaurant Hudson’s. Some adventurous classmates indulged in ice cream and fried oreos.
The walk to the restaurant was relatively short and the area around the hotel was starting to become a bit familiar for me (since we walked around the area a few times).
Eventually we walked back to the hotel where I am now writing about the first day. Although the long walks were tiring, It was a great first experience in South Africa!
MZ
