Pretty Pretty Pictures

Spring Break Part 4: Swakopmund

We woke up and packed up our tents and then headed down the road to Swakopmund. We passed the Tropic of Cancer (and saw zebras and baboons in the distance). We stopped in Walvis Bay where there is a huge lagoon, though we didn't see any of the flamingos that we were told would be there (we did drive by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's house though). Our hostel in Swakopmund was just as nice as the others and we walked into the main town for some shopping and a short visit to the beach. Back at our hostel we met up with Martin for dinner and then attempted to see the nightlife, but were sorely disappointed when every bar was empty. So we consoled ourselves by hanging out at our hostel and then heading to our comfy beds. We woke up bright and early to be picked up by Desert Adventures for our quad biking and sand boarding combo. The quad biking (quad bikes are like ATV's) was terrifying at first by so exhilarating. We got to race up the dues and then fall back down and going fast was really fun. When we reached a really big dune we all got off and started sand boarding (which is really just like sledding, except on sand). Griffin and I hiked up the tallest dune and then luckily got a ride back up (because it was really difficult walking in the sand, especially with a huge board that magnified the effects of the wind). The driver entertained us by doing wheelies and speeding over the tops of the dunes (with us hanging on for dear life). On the way back we had a little scare when Monica flipped off her quad, but we headed in slowly and she didn't complain. Then it was time to say goodbye to our British friends and Martin and we headed back to Windhoek for our last night. We stayed at the same dorm and met some interesting people, including one guy who was bicycling from Ethiopia to Cape Town! We collected all of our change (since we didn't want to go back to the ATM) and managed to buy one pizza which we devoured. We got to sleep in a bit and then packed up our stuff and drove to the airport. The flight was more crowded this time but just as easy (they even let Marlee take her water through security and when we told the lady that usually we weren't allowed to carry on water she said, "Since When?"). Our flight from Joberg to Accra was empty (we each had our own row again!) and we arrived in Ghana around 9:30, tired but more or less relaxed. Coming back to Ghana was great, because while we were away we realized that the more we talked to other travelers about Ghana, the more we missed it. By the end of our trip we were bemoaning the fact that there were no open gutters and no guys saying, "Etesen". But I still loved every minute of South Africa and Namibia and I can't wait to visit again (hopefully with more people who have yet to experience the beauty of southern Africa)!!!

Spring Break Part 3: Windhoek and Sossusvlei

Our flight to Namibia was short and sweet (we each had our own row!)and upon arriving in Windhoek we got in a taxi and had a ride through the deserted landscape to our hostel (which was, again, gorgeous) which had a pool and dogs. We made a pasty dinner and hung out a bit in the large outdoor common area. We woke up early (like every other day) to begin our safari with two young British guys who had also been staying in our hostel. Our driver, Martin, was super nice and called all of us princess and angel (and even referred to us collectively as Martin's Angels) and our 4 x 4, the aptly named "Sexy Beast," was quite comfortable during the long drives. We arrived at Agame Camp in the late afternoon, set up our tents, and started swimming (I know... real camping doesn't have swimming pools...). We had a delicious dinner and then stargazed until bed. Wake up was 4:30 AM because we had be at Sossusvlei by sunrise. We climbed the totally picturesque dunes and even did some staged jumping photo shoots before breakfast. Then we walked partway up Crazy Dune (so called because as Martin says "You have to be crazy to climb") and then ran down the sand to Deadvlei, a clay wasteland riddled with buried dead treas. Then we headed to a little canyon where we dove off the cliffs into the refreshingly cold water before making our way back to camp for more swimming, a gorgeous sunset, and another night under the stunning stars.

Spring Break Part 2: Because I Don't Want It to Be too Long

On Monday we woke up early and got right into our wine tour bus with Isaac, our adorable and extremely knowledgeable driver who talked to us about South African and American politics (he was a McCain supporter, as were many of our taxi drivers). We picked up a nice Polish couple and headed to a wine cellar where we had our first wine tasting, complete with introductory lessons (that made us laugh more than anything). Our second winery was called Goats Do Roam and though the wine was excellent I think all of us enjoyed the cheese tasting the most (I don't want to say how many times we went around the cheese table for seconds). Isaac then drove us through Fishhoek where we had a picnic lunch under the trees. Then we headed to a cheetah conservatory where we got to pet a real cheetah (though it wasn't very scary considering it appeared to be asleep, or just really bored). Our last winery of the day was Simonseg and though it was empty we still had a great tasting. Then we had to say goodbye to our new Polish friends and Isaac and met up with some friends on Long for cocktails and Kurdish food (where we got charged $1 each to watch belly dancing!). Tuesday we woke up to gloom and overcast skies and a phone call saying our skydiving had been canceled because of the weather, and though we were disappointed we soldiered on, mostly by consoling ourselves with window shopping and a delicious sandwich lunch. Then, Griffin, Marlee, and I hiked Lion's Head (a smaller mountain near Table Mountain) where we had breathtaking views of both Cape Town and the ocean. We asked a passerby to take a picture of all us and after he obliged he asked if he could take our pictures for the Cape Town newspaper because he was writing an article on the recent muggings on Lion's Head. This mostly just got us thinking every hiker was a potential mugger, though everyone we met on the way was nice. The first few minutes were torture but once we started rock climbing (not too intense but still brag worthy) it got easier and we made it to the top quickly. The view from the top was even more amazing and it was really sad to have to head down. When we got to the beginning of the trail we realized it would be pretty hard to hail a taxi but luckily we met two nice hikers who gave us a ride back. We met up with other girls from Ghana and ate delicious burgers. It being Saint Patrick's Day we went to the nearby Irish Pub and hung out way into the night.

Spring Break Part 1: Cape Town aka My New City (one day)

We arrived in Cape Town, South Africa after one of the easiest flights I have ever been on (at least in the past 10 years). Not only was there no wait in Accra, our transfer at Johannesburg was a breeze (meaning none of the taking off of the shoes or the jackets or putting the liquids in the tray business). All of us had empty seats and were able to sleep the entire flight so by the time we woke up we were already landing. The pilot pointed out the sights of Cape Town, including Robben Island and Table Mountain (the enormous plateau in the middle of the city). We met our driver right at the gate and arrived at our hostel, Carnival Court, within the hour. The street our hostel was on is called Long Street and though it was very Western I'm having trouble comparing it to anyplace in the US. It was the cutest street filled with restaurants, bars, clubs, boutiques, and anything else you could imagine. All the buildings were a mix of New Orleans and modern architecture and our own hostel was quite adorable, with old wooden floors, our own fireplace, and a great balcony overlooking the street. After putting our stuff down we got a taxi and headed to the waterfront (another area straight out of the US) were we got fish and chips. Then we did our historical tour of Robben Island, the infamous prison where political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela were kept during the long years of apartheid. The ferry was not quick enough (it kind of made me seasick) but the island was beautiful. Our bus driver was hilarious and knew everything there was to know about the prison (he had even given Barack Obama his first tour). We got to go inside the prisons and see where Nelson Mandela's cell was. We also saw the many penguins that inhabit the island (it is the third largest penguin colony) and then headed back to the mainland for a short nap. That night we all went to a Mexican restaurant where we promptly devoured a plate of nachos (we have been very cheese deprived) and then proceeded to pig out on fajitas (with extra cheese). We tried getting into a club on Long Street but didn't feel like paying an expensive cover charge so we headed back to our hostel and hung out with the other travelers. On Sunday we woke up early to get a taxi into Simonstown, which is a bit farther down the cape. The drive was fantastic and reminded me of driving through northern California. It was weird passing such nice suburbs because even the suburbs of Ghana weren't that western looking. When we arrived in Simonstown we headed to the wharf and got in our kayaks. The trek out to the Boulders was extremely difficult, I can't ignore how bad of shape I am in. But we got to see more penguins swimming among the rocks and then got to go swimming ourselves, though it was freezing! The row back was less painful and Marlee and I kept up with the guides to be second back (though technically it wasn't a race). A local guy suggested we skip the tourist restaurants by the water and directed us to The Meeting Place up on the hill. The place was really cute and looked straight out of Crate and Barrel (the food was delicious as well, including more cheese!). We then walked down the main street, which reminded me a bit of Carmel before getting onto the train (even the train ride was amazing because it passed right by the ocean!). Long Street was deserted for once so we walked down a quieter street and ate pizza and pasta for an amazing price before heading back to Long Street where we spent another night with people from our hostel.

Burkina Faso and FESPACO

The past few weeks have been very busy (mostly because I was spending over 30 hours in a tiny van driving along a ridiculously bumpy road) yet very fun. I went with my documentary class to Burkina Faso, the country immediately north of Ghana, for the largest (and perhaps only) African film festival, FESPACO. We left at 5 am in a too small Ford van crammed with all out cameras and sound equipment and for the first few hours we drove without AC to spare the engine. By 6 pm we were safely in Bolgatanga, a town on the Ghanaian side of the border. Though at times we weren't sure if we would ever make it, the roads were so horrible and practically non existent. We set out at 5 am again on Saturday, passed through the delightfully dilapidated border crossing with little trouble, and arrived in Ouagadougou (the capital of Burkina) around noon. The first day was spent wandering aimlessly around the film festival, wondering if we were going to get passes or not and eating kebabs. All that was accomplished was discovering a good local street bar with delicious egg sandwiches on baguettes (one of the many examples of french influence). But luckily the next day we had complimentary passes and saw our first movie, a very long documentary about the current political of South Africa, which actually pretty interesting. The next day we were able to see my professor's movie about rastas in Ethiopia and several other interesting films in french with french subtitles. My four years of French were a little helpful but not much, and the movies were just downright weird (one was about an albino murder mystery in Mali involving sacrifice and theater... and the other was about a crazy family in South Africa, both fiction). We also saw a very cute documentary about child bus drivers in Egypt. Along the way we took a lot of footage of the festival and the people of Burkina (called Burkinabes) and had time to interview lots of other festivaliers (the official name of everyone attending). Everyone had an amazing time and our two TA's took us out to dinner and dance clubs and were constantly entertaining us. By Tuesday no one wanted to leave but as soon as we finished walking around the open air market we had to pack up the van again and head to Bolgatanga for the night. Wednesday we woke up again at 5 and headed on our way, though it took us longer to get home because right at the outskirts of Accra, where the road starts to get a little less bumpy, our tire blew out. Scaring all of us and the entire group of people selling food on the road side. By the time we finally got home it was almost 9 and all of us immediately went to bed and passed out (even though we had spent most of the car ride sleeping...). The rest of the that week and the next have been going by very slowly because I cannot wait to be on a plane to South Africa and Namibia. We fly down for spring break this Friday and will be kayaking, dune surfing, wine tasting (and maybe even skydiving)!

Finally Some Pictures

Here's a picture of the crocodile getting ready to eat...
This is the view from the top of Elmina Castle, looking out over the river and the fishing boats. The picture does not accurately show the massive amount of people that were gathered.
This is the view from the other side of Elmina Castle, facing the ocean.
This is the doorway leading into the dungeon where they kept slaves that tried to revolt or incite riots. They would leave people in there with no food until they died and then throw their bodies out into the ocean.
A view from the pool at our hotel in Elmina, the water was a gorgeous shade of blue but the current made it too strong to really swim.
This is the little bungalow we slept in at Kokrobite, a beach town just 40 minutes away by tro tro.
This is a picture from a while ago when we went to Kaneshi market. These kids were adorable and would not stop posing!

The internet is being very slow so I will have to post the rest later.