Chunky Monkey

Day 7 (Sunday, May 18, 2008) Sunday is the day of rest, is it not? Most chose to roll out of bed late, but seeing as I'd gone to bed dreadfully early the evening prior, I was up by 5am--watching episodes of the Aussie sitcom 'Kath & Kim' on my iPod. When I finally managed to get up, I realized I had not plans and was instantly feeling antsy. I headed for breakfast and there met an American girl named Lily, and another American named Dave (from Escondido!!!), and a British girl named Charlotte. I had re-booked my ticket to head to Robben Island, the detention center I'd missed the day before, but didn't feel up to the journey. So, over toast and eggs, the four of us decided to go seek out Monkey Jungle--a sanctuary where little monkey's crawl all over you. Upon leaving the hostel we realized that the streets of Cape Town on a sunday redefine dead. Not a car, a person, or a peep. It was an interesting way to view the bustling city center. We stopped into the market for some munchies, then jumped on the Blue line tour bus to make it out to our first stop--the Botanical Gardens. The air was sweet, and clean in the gardens, almost as if the intense burst of oxygen was making us high. We walked around a bit, took photos, and basked in the bright sun. The trees were perfect for climbing, but it was prohibited. Shame. From here, were headed for the Bird Paradise/Monkey Jungle. In this small sanctuary were rescued birds, monkeys, and other animals of all different species. We were inches away from huge eagles the size of Rotweiller's, as well as an injured buzzard who loved to show off it's one working wing. Finally, we made it to the monkey enclosure and right away, they were scurrying around quickly. We weren't sure what the trick was, but some people were covered in these small, orange and brown primates. All of a sudden, I felt a slight tug and there was a monkey on my back, attempting to steal my scarf. He nibbled on it, tearing the threads, but I didn't mind it--there was a monkey climbing on me!!! After this it was pandemonium. They were stealing sweets from peoples purses, wrappers from our pockets, even receipts from our hands. These gorgeous creatures were so playful, and had so much personality. We were there for nearly forty minutes just allowing them to nibble our hair, and pull on the zippers to our bags. Tricky little buggers...but they were indeed precious. After leaving the park, we waited forty minutes for the next bus and played a few too many games of twenty questions. Along the bus route back, we stopped at a fisherman's wharf and had some of the best and cheapest fish & chips I've ever had. We walked along the boardwalk and found a local man and his pet sea lion, Happy. We took photos, fed him fish, and he loved it when we pet and hugged him. He reminded me of my old pal Oreo; my Labrador retriever from when I was younger. We boarded the bus again and by now we were exhausted. After about an hour of a windy, but incredibly scenic drive of the Cape Town coast, we made it back to the hostel. Each of us went out own way to relax or freshen up, and made plans to meet up for a trip to the cinema later. We walked to the nearby cinema, the Labia (yes, you read it correctly), and watched Todd Hayne's terribly pretentious film 'I'm Not There.' Three words, "I'm not interested." It was so self-absorbed and referential, that basically you need a Bob Dylan discography to even understand the title. Back at the hostel, I met up with my good pal Inez from Spain, as it was her last night. We shared a drink, a chat, and then off to bed--with plans for a 9am breakfast. What followed were an undisturbed eight hours of blissful sleep. Day 8 (Monday, May 19, 2008) Waking to no pressure is the best feeling in the world. The showers were mostly taken, but I found one with a lovely spider waiting for me. I quickly washed it down the water spout, and went about my business of cleansing. Post-shower, I got dressed and met Inez and Daniel from Peru for breakfast. It was nice to speak Spanish for an entire chunk of time, seeing as how that is a rarity for me these days. Great practice, and culturally fulfilling to me as a Latino. Here, Daniel showed us his pictures of shark diving, which looked incredible. I wish I'd done it, but unfortunately my stomach could not handle the rough waters of the Cape. Maybe next time. Inez and I said good-bye to Daniel, as he checked out, and I aided Inez in carrying her bags out to the reception area, as she's to move into one of the townships with a family for three weeks. She is with Doctor's Without Borders, and what she is doing seems incredible. After some debate, Lily and I decided to spend the day walking around and hoping to make it to the beach. We walked down Long Street, the most popular and hip area of Cape Town--also sort of the red-light district. We shopped a bit, and headed to the waterfront. At the waterfront, we were again bombarded with a beautifully constructed mall, chock-full of tourists delights. Not my type of place, but worth seeing. We had a beautiful lunch there, spending only under twenty dollars then walked along the coast--watching the rough waves slam against the walls of the walk-way. One woman was almost severely drenched...but unluckily for me, I didn't get to see it happen. After a while our feet grew far too tired to walk any further. We decided to hop a cab back to Long Street, and now I am here, and the Geek Internet Cafe typing this here blog. Tonight, we're off to sample some game; warthog ribs, springbok meat, and eland steak. Yum. Tomorrow is technically day one of my overland trip, where I will change to our meeting hotel. After tomorrow, I may be unreachable for a while. We shall see. But before any of that, I have a 90-minute massage scheduled for tomorrow morning. After this first week, I don't really need it, but I will treat myself anyway. After all, I have the next month and a half to sleep in the bush, and Rhinos don't have the gentle touch of a masseur.