Wednesday, September 30, 2009
white knuckled driving
We finally got ourselves a rental car which helps so I don't feel too isolated out in the suburbs or have to take an extremely expensive taxi out into the city. But I did have to learn how to drive on the opposite side of the road and car, yikes. I never thought that I would grip a steering wheel so hard that it gave me cramps and white knuckles. I have been getting used to it since it helps when there are other cars to follow. The roundabouts are still a pain in the arse and takes too much concentration, I have already encountered more than my fair share of them and am grateful for the drivers around me who dealt with me without giving me the bird. However, the worst part of driving in Cape Town is not the erratic drivers or extremely narrow roads where it looks like you're driving head on but it's the people dodgers and bicyclists! On the freeway, there are people who constantly dodge across traffic or ride their bicycle especially when they do this at night, you can't see them. They are my least favorite about driving here.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Botanical Garden - Kirstenbosch
truly a photographers/gardener/hiking/nature enthusiast wonderland...
• looking up towards table mountain •
• looking down into cape town •
• lushness •
• regal: king protea - south africa's national flower •
• up close and personal: pin cushion protea •
• looking up towards table mountain •
• looking down into cape town •
• lushness •
• regal: king protea - south africa's national flower •
• up close and personal: pin cushion protea •Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Spending time in Cape Town
We're staying in Tyger Falls (aka Bellville in the northern suburb of Cape Town) and it is actually quite nice but the main attraction of this area are the two large shopping malls that are right next to each other. I am still a little flabbergasted that these are considered highlights/attractions. We do have an incredible Cuban restaurant, Buena Vista Social Club, that is downstairs from us. They have amazing mojitos (up to par with La Bodeguita in Palo Alto), delicious food and Cuban cigars for about twenty bucks. We are waiting for a weekend evening where we can have tons of mojitos with Cuban cigars and then just stumble home. We also have a gorgeous view from our balcony of the lake and a waterfall that they turn on for the weekdays and off for the weekends. It's a little odd waking up in the morning to see our waterfall turned off!
• hey, where did our waterfall go? •
We ventured off to Boulders Beach on Saturday so we can see penguins. Instead of paying the entrance fee to enter Boulders Beach (and be surrounded by tourists) you can easily take the side pathway that takes you towards the beach rather than pay the entrance fee to the park. There are lots of penguins on the walk to the beach with not too many tourists which we of course, found out after we had left the main park.
• that one penguin looks depressed •
Cape Point was also incredible with great hiking trails. One of my favorite highlights is people watching where some tourists actually hiked up the trail in high heels and complain the whole way - silly tourists! The lighthouse was a little too populated for our liking so we ventured over to Diaz Point which is a nice trail that goes beyond the lighthouse. It’s less populated and offers more incredible views of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
• the point •
And of course, what’s a trip without spending time in a local's joint? The husband’s colleague had been gracious enough to take us through some hidden gems. They took us into Noordhoek for a stroll on a quiet beach and then off to the Red Herring for sunset, drinks, dinner (delicious pizzas) and live music from a retired guy who plays covers songs. We would have never known about this little local place if it wasn’t for our guide and I think that we are actually going to have to venture back there again since it was an excellent place.
• sunset from red herring in noordhoek •
• hey, where did our waterfall go? •We ventured off to Boulders Beach on Saturday so we can see penguins. Instead of paying the entrance fee to enter Boulders Beach (and be surrounded by tourists) you can easily take the side pathway that takes you towards the beach rather than pay the entrance fee to the park. There are lots of penguins on the walk to the beach with not too many tourists which we of course, found out after we had left the main park.
• that one penguin looks depressed •
• the point •
• sunset from red herring in noordhoek •Thursday, September 17, 2009
Cape Town, South Africa Journey
I'm sitting at Heathrow Airport waiting for a long distance flight to Cape Town, South Africa. If anyone was to track my carbon emission for the past three weeks, it would be quite high since my travels have included flights from LA to London, Amsterdam, back to London, South Africa, London and then finally back to the States. This doesn't include any relocation flights needed to either South Africa or London. I don't think that I'm looking forward to the SA flight since it's about a thirteen hour flight from London... a sleeping pill will actually be needed for this flight. Although I'm a seasoned traveler, I still can't help but get nervous every time I get on an airplane. The anxiety seems to grow as I get older and I'm not sure where it stems from, silly anxiety. Anyway, I am really looking forward to Cape Town and I have a long list of things that need to be done while there: wine tasting, climbing Table Mountain, visiting the penguins, maybe some scuba diving and definitely, lots of walking and traveling. I am really looking forward to being outdoors for the next three weeks adventuring it (especially since the husband is going to be working, I'll need to keep busy). I'm also looking forward to being active again. I broke my toe a few months ago and since I am a neglectful person, the healing has been quite stubborn. It's now finally getting back to normal where I can walk long distances with only minor discomfort so I'm hoping that I can now start running and being active again...apparently lots of booze and no diet restrictions with limited activity due to the foot has yielded an unhealthy kime.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Do you believe in ghosts?
For a long time, my answer would have been that I believe that there is something there but that I couldn't believe until I had some proof.
Of course I still do not have any proof except for what I experienced over the summer and I still feel a strong sense of sadness and connection to this.
In July, part of my summer holiday took me to Cambodia and many of you might remember me writing about how this country deeply affected me spiritually. Not only was the country beautiful and has rebuilt wonderfully since their genocide but there was a sense of familiarity that places of the country held that I still haven't been able to shake off.
I took a tour of Tuol Sleng prison which used to be a high school before the Khmer Rouge turned it into a secret prison that held over 30,000 people before they were sent to the killing fields (During Pol Pot's regime, they killed between one to two million people in four years). From first glance, the prison looked like any other school. A few gymnasium apparatus on the lawn, next to old school benches. But when your eyes have a moment to soak in the images, you see the barb wire, the chain link fence that covered all the windows and balcony so people wouldn't commit suicide. The classrooms that used to teach were converted into small prison cells, the floors holding the dark stains of history and you know all too well that this place holds so much pain, suffering and sadness.
Something happened as I began walking through the school. At first, I attributed it to the overwhelming sense of sadness. Standing in the room, hearing the stories from the guide and the feeling of numbness came across my body. While standing in the classroom, something held on to my pant leg. You know that feeling when you are out hiking and you catch your pant leg on a branch? That was the feeling that I had. Something grabbing hold of my pant leg. Of course, I was focused on listening to the guide so I slap my leg to "let it loose" and continue moving through the school. At the next juncture, where I was listening to how the the prisoners were kept in the school, that snagging feeling happened again. This time, I looked down and saw that nothing was there. But when I began walking, my right leg had a drag to it, there was something holding me back and I wasn't stuck to anything. But the pulling sensation wasn't the only thing that I felt. At the place where I was being held, my thigh felt tingly, like when your leg or arm feel asleep but it was an electrical charge. I kept shaking my leg and my pants and the sensation wouldn't go away. It kept following me, holding on tight to my leg, the electricity isolated only to my right thigh. I didn't think too much of it while walking through the school, I actually thought of it more as an annoyance than anything. But the weirdest thing was the moment that I took that step outside of the school's gate, the pulling and electric feeling stopped. Nothing. No pulling sensation. No tingly. Nothing.
I didn't think too much of the feeling until the next morning, when I awoke with the feeling and the understanding that there really was someone there, holding me back, wanting me to stay there. I know that it sounds a little silly but after more investigation into it (and I do happen to have an old client that studies this who helped me with this), we came upon the conclusion that it was a child who latched onto me.
To some, this can just really sound like some far-fetched story. And to be honest, if someone was to tell me that this happened to them, I too might cast some doubt. But it's crazy knowing that this is something that I experienced. That it was something that I just had to write down so that I didn't forget it. But something that I also wanted to share too because I don't think that this happens often.
Of course I still do not have any proof except for what I experienced over the summer and I still feel a strong sense of sadness and connection to this.
In July, part of my summer holiday took me to Cambodia and many of you might remember me writing about how this country deeply affected me spiritually. Not only was the country beautiful and has rebuilt wonderfully since their genocide but there was a sense of familiarity that places of the country held that I still haven't been able to shake off.
I took a tour of Tuol Sleng prison which used to be a high school before the Khmer Rouge turned it into a secret prison that held over 30,000 people before they were sent to the killing fields (During Pol Pot's regime, they killed between one to two million people in four years). From first glance, the prison looked like any other school. A few gymnasium apparatus on the lawn, next to old school benches. But when your eyes have a moment to soak in the images, you see the barb wire, the chain link fence that covered all the windows and balcony so people wouldn't commit suicide. The classrooms that used to teach were converted into small prison cells, the floors holding the dark stains of history and you know all too well that this place holds so much pain, suffering and sadness.
Something happened as I began walking through the school. At first, I attributed it to the overwhelming sense of sadness. Standing in the room, hearing the stories from the guide and the feeling of numbness came across my body. While standing in the classroom, something held on to my pant leg. You know that feeling when you are out hiking and you catch your pant leg on a branch? That was the feeling that I had. Something grabbing hold of my pant leg. Of course, I was focused on listening to the guide so I slap my leg to "let it loose" and continue moving through the school. At the next juncture, where I was listening to how the the prisoners were kept in the school, that snagging feeling happened again. This time, I looked down and saw that nothing was there. But when I began walking, my right leg had a drag to it, there was something holding me back and I wasn't stuck to anything. But the pulling sensation wasn't the only thing that I felt. At the place where I was being held, my thigh felt tingly, like when your leg or arm feel asleep but it was an electrical charge. I kept shaking my leg and my pants and the sensation wouldn't go away. It kept following me, holding on tight to my leg, the electricity isolated only to my right thigh. I didn't think too much of it while walking through the school, I actually thought of it more as an annoyance than anything. But the weirdest thing was the moment that I took that step outside of the school's gate, the pulling and electric feeling stopped. Nothing. No pulling sensation. No tingly. Nothing.
I didn't think too much of the feeling until the next morning, when I awoke with the feeling and the understanding that there really was someone there, holding me back, wanting me to stay there. I know that it sounds a little silly but after more investigation into it (and I do happen to have an old client that studies this who helped me with this), we came upon the conclusion that it was a child who latched onto me.
To some, this can just really sound like some far-fetched story. And to be honest, if someone was to tell me that this happened to them, I too might cast some doubt. But it's crazy knowing that this is something that I experienced. That it was something that I just had to write down so that I didn't forget it. But something that I also wanted to share too because I don't think that this happens often.
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