Healing powers of Palmukkale, Turkey

Posted on January 13, 2012 by surfas-ing

One too many overnight buses and couple pomegranate juices later I found myself deeper into the center of Turkey. By the time I arrived at Ephesus I was at the point of, you seen one ruin you seen ‘em all… I was on a guided tour and my tour guide was also at that stage. We wandered around the ancient city, got a little information when the guide felt like we were worthy and took a bunch of pictures. Luckily, I had some interesting people on my trip and we were able to enjoy the area together. Ephesus is in the Selcuk area of Turkey and dates back to the Neolithic ages 6000 B.C.E and in ancient times was a port city but the water has long since receded. As a designer I’m always looking for the small details because I feel like that is what makes a project standout. The mosaic floors that have been unearthed, which were part of the ancient “mall” or market area, are incredible and complex; each stall has a different motif adorning the front walk which probably was an early way to show who was selling the best toga and who was selling the most delicious olive oil.

My second tour in the central region was Palmukkale and the ancient Roman city of Hierapolis. I had high hopes for Palmukkale; everything I’d seen portrayed the area as a mystical and serene limestone landscape. Little did I know but most of the photography used of the area is from the 70’s and 80’s when there weren’t any rules about entering the various pools of water. The pictures showed people frolicking in in crochet bathing suits and speedos (this should have been my first clue).  Now days there are strict rules about where you can and can’t enter the water, not only that but they restrict the water flow and clean the pools. I know what you’re thinking, how could this be bad? Today, all you can do is take off your shoes, role up your pants – or in my case unzip my fly zip off pants and gradually walk up and down the designated areas. Side note: A few days prior to my arrival in Palmukkale I jumped off a rock in Cappadocia and landed in a way that made tears come to my eyes and caused me to swear like a Turkish sailor. Anyway, the water in Palmukkale is supposed to be very healing and restorative so I was hopeful that it would heal both my newly injured foot and my pre-existing condition.

I dipped my toes into the warm spring water and let the fine stone sand squish through my toes; I took my time wading through each of the pools until I made it down to the bottom. I was with a few girls who were on the tour so we did our own form of restricted frolicking and continued back up to the top. Everything was going according to plan when I decided I wanted one last dip in the deep end. Instead of walking around the ledge I opted to take one big step up to climb over. The slippery black algae had other plans for me and within an instant my shin smashed into the limestone, my free hand scraped the side of the ledge and my camera got an unexpected rinse in the crystal clear blue water. It happened so quickly, but I stealthfully pulled out my towel to dry the camera and at the same time removed the battery and the SD card. Needless to say my final dip in the deep end was over before it started. Apparently, the water was healing because both my feet felt a little better and I ran up the hill just in time to catch a glimpse of the theater. The sun was fighting the dark clouds to shine through as I slipped back into the bus unscathed with all my limbs and camera attached.

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Cappadocia, Turkey: The land of ferries and chimneys

Posted on January 7, 2012 by surfas-ing

I left Istanbul to explore some of the more “exotic” areas that Turkey has to offer. I planned a loop that took me from Istanbul through the middle of Turkey in the Anatolia region and back all in about a week. My first stop was in a place that George Lucas once sought out for Star Wars.

My first day was a free day to catch up on some sleep after the long and sleepless, twelve-hour bus ride. I could have flown, but I’m on a budget and these are the breaks of being on a budget. I sat next to a lady who invaded my personal space for twelve hours; apparently she didn’t see the line because she crossed it the entire night. I arrived to my hotel, which was naturally carved into the side of the mountain. In keeping with the cave motif my room had no windows, just a door and a ventilation tube for the bathroom. Even the bed frame, headboard and nightstands were all carved right from the stone; there was cheap fake wood floor littered with Turkish rugs, I thought they should have just kept the natural floor stone – but what the hell do I know???

Goreme, pronounced Gore – em – ay,  has roughly 2,000 residents and ALL of their business is based on tourism. Since it’s the off-season right now I was welcomed with open arms by shopkeepers, restaurants and my little cave hotel. I wandered around the  town, saw the rug store, the leather store and the ceramic store all in about an hour. I hiked up to the highest point I could find to survey the area and then hiked down since it gets dark so early. I had a nice dinner at the hotel; I was the only guest and the people running the hotel invited me to have dinner with them. After dinner we went next door to the neighbors and played telephone over a few cups of tea. I say telephone because only one person at the hotel spoke English so he had to be the official translator.  I must say they were very friendly and welcoming until I described where I was headed to after Turkey.  The mother, who was the most interested in my story, became very abrupt once she discovered my next stop was to Israel. She immediately asked next if I was Jewish, which of course I am. Sadly there was a shift in her tude towards me, but still the tea kept flowing.

The nearby volcano formed the area of Cappadocia; many moons ago the volcano in Mount Hassan erupted and filled the valley with volcanic material. Over the course of many years the earthquakes in the area combined with natural erosion left the area dotted with Pashaba’s or fairy chimneys. The second day I had a tour, we went to another part of Goerme and the Open Air Museum. Basically there were a bunch of caves carved into various chimneys; many of which were used for monasteries, churches and other religious uses.  The guide told us about what rooms were used for, but I think it’s all hearsay – how do they really know what the rooms were used for, it’s not like there is an ancient floor plan floating around town. Anyway, we were able to climb around to the different areas and check out frescos that were thousands of years old; the place was so peaceful and calm that I could have spent hours exploring.

The first part of the third day was spent hiking through the Ihlara valley which is “composed of cracks and breakdowns which came into existence from the balsalt getting cold and the andesite intensity lava in the volcanic rock”.  The Melendis stream divided the mountain giving the canyon it’s appearance today. It was dotted with caves high above the hills – more shelters, churches and graves.  Some were accessible to reach but with the snow on the ground it made the climbs a bit treacherous. In the afternoon we went to the Derinkuyu underground city; the underground city is literally 8 floors below the ground. These caves where designed to protect the people during wars; they lived below ground for up to 9 months; considering they were “cave men” they had some seriously sophisticated ventilation and security systems. It was a maze of stairs, ramps and small crevasses but we managed to see a number of the rooms throughout the underground city and get a feel for how life might have been like as a cave man.

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Gone Commando, In Israel

Posted on January 6, 2012 by surfas-ing

I’ve spent the last two weeks volunteering on an IDF (Israel Defense Force) military base. Yes, you heard correctly The Israeli Army! Let me tell you, all those days in the gym pumping iron and running laps has really paid off. My first week of sweat and tears was spent just outside of Tel Aviv at an undisclosed medical base. Along with 25 other volunteers we helped sort, check, reseal and pack various medical supplies that will be shipped all around Israel to different units as well as around the world for emergency aide situations. I know this work sounds exhilarating, but in all reality what we were doing is a vital piece of the army’s survival – or at least that’s what they made us believe. The base isn’t a “combat” base so there aren’t any tanks or guys running around with fatigues and guns, unfortunately. Most of the people on the base are non-commission workers, who were typically in the army many years ago, or other full-time volunteers. I spent my week working for a man named Efi and his soldier; Efi really put the pedal to the metal, I think we took café breaks at least every two hours and we had Hebrew lessons in between.  Then there was the cutest old man named Israel. Israel has been a volunteer for the last twelve years, he is 78 and comes to help Efi three mornings a week. He not only served in 3 Israeli wars but he was also a POW for a total of seven years when he was in his yearly 20’s.

 

 

 

Considering the strenuous hours, laborious work and drill sergeants we managed to play cards, go for runs, buy snacks at the Shechem (little store) and get in some sun. In Tel Aviv the weather was beautiful; at least I thought it was seeing as it’s probably winter wallopping in New York. The volunteers range in age from 16 to 78, and there are people various countries including; Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Italy, USA and even a few ExPats from Israel. We were loaned an army uniform that was strictly enforced; pants, belts, shirts and warm jackets. Luckily the color green goes well with my complexion; otherwise 3-weeks in the fatigues might get kind of old. The accommodations are camp like, 4 ladies sharing a bunk bed style room with the bathroom across the courtyard. We all ate our meals together in buffet style; cucumbers, tomatoes and variations of white creamy sauce. I’m perplexed every day by the amount of cucumbers this country must either import of grow locally, they serve them like water! Since it was during Hanukkah we even had sufganiot (Jewish donuts filled with jelly) after every meal.

Typical Day Schedule:

  1. Wake up – 7:15
  2. Breakfast -7:30
  3. Work – 8:15 to 12:30 (lot’s of breaks in between)
  4. Lunch – 12:30 to 1:30
  5. Work – 1:30 to 4 (lot’s of breaks in between)
  6. Hang time – 4 to 5:30 (running, cards, naps)
  7. Dinner – 5:30 to 6:30
  8. Break – 6:30 to 7:00
  9. Activity – 7:00 to 8:00
  10. Free time – 8:00 to whenev’s

Posted in Israel | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

From the sky, seeing Cappadocia

Posted on January 2, 2012 by surfas-ing

To be honest, I haven’t given much thought to my “bucket list”. I find it somewhat morbid and somewhat pointless. My theory is that if you want to do something you should either just do it or figure out a way to make it happen in the near future. Waiting around until you have enough money or enough time is sort of unreasonable and lets face it, typically never happens. If you waited around for all the stars to align and everything to be perfect you might have to wait forever for your life to really begin. According to my mother my Great Aunt Anne, who is 100 going on 101 (in January), has always wanted to go for a ride in a hot air balloon. Although she lived a very full life and traveled to many far off places her book of experiences has now closed. Going on a hot air balloon ride has always fascinated me as well but I have never been presented with a good opportunity to take a ride. When I arrived in Cappadocia I was bombarded with signs and people asking if I was going to take my turn in the sky? For budget trip standards this is well above my daily food and fun ration, but I remembered something a wise friend told me before I left on my journey. She said I shouldn’t deny myself by being a penny pincher along the way; that I should seize every moment because if not now, when?

I really find the whole idea of a hot air balloon romantic; I always pictured it to be something like a fairy tale with my prince charming and a bottle of champagne at sunset.  Instead I shared my chariot with 6 other passengers; a young Argentinian boy who forgot to charge his camera batteries (rookie move), a “couple” who were having a rendezvous in Turkey (the older man was from the States and the younger, pretty girl from China – I didn’t ask questions, but trust me I had plenty), the guide and two guys from the company for extra ballast. Regardless of the company in my basket once we left the ground nobody really mattered but me. We sailed above Cappadocia and watched the sun rise above the horizon; the only sound we heard was from the tank as the guide took us higher and higher above the land.  Seeing this mysterious landscape from that vantage point was inspiring and intriguing all in one breath. We did pop a bottle of the bubbly when we landed safely after about an hour in the sky and toasted our voyage together.

From new heights; wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year in 2012!

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Brief encounters with the Turks

Posted on December 28, 2011 by surfas-ing

I understand it’s the culture in Turkey to welcome people into their stores and offer Turkish tea to visitors, but I have had an abnormal amount of tea as well as interactions with the Turkish people since I’ve arrived.

It all started on the airplane on the way to Istanbul; somehow I started talking to three girls during the layover. Actually, only one attempted to speak English to me on the flight the others were just along for the ride. We exchanged all sorts of information and by the end of the flight they offered to show me to the tram and even paid for my ticket. When we parted ways they wanted me to come to their house instead of my hotel, I took their information and assured them I would email if I needed any help while I was in Turkey.

Then there was the guy at dinner one night who offered to drive me to Cappadocia. The only caveat was that we would have to stop to visit his sick momma on the way…He settled to take me for coffee the next day and tell me his travel suggestions for the area; I’m a terrible person and stood him up for our one o’clock date. Once in Cappadocia I proceeded to spend the following two days having dinner and breakfast with the people at the little hotel. Only one of the three spoke English, but they welcomed me into their circle and showed me amazing hospitality.

Sometimes after a bit of tea people will let you do almost anything if you just ask. In Istanbul I really wanted to eat at one of the tourist places where the ladies make the flat bread in the window. Once I ate my delicious, highly glutenous flat bread I asked if I could sit in the window and try my baking skills. Without hesitation they handed me a ball of dough and the long, thin rolling pin. On one of my tours I somehow ended up being the person  chosen for the pottery demonstration. I was given the big babushka pants and a few words of encouragement for my pottery debut. I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a job opening at the little studio in Cappadocia, but I gave it my best shot and made a mess in the process.

Then there was the guy standing on the street trying to lure people into his restaurant; It’s normal practice for guys to stand outside the restaurant beckoning people for a meal. When he started talking to me in Turkish; I just smiled, nodded and kept walking. I reached a dead-end and had to walk past him again, I wasn’t as successful at dodging his questions when he started speaking in English. In the States when a man of his appearance starts talking to me I promptly turn and walk away. In Turkey, it’s not so easy. Of course, he sat me down, offered me tea and told me about his relatives in California and DC.  He was appalled that I hadn’t seen much of “his” village and then proceeded to show me the local fish market that was around the corner.  In his dark jeans, long black leather jacket and black turtleneck the man escorted me through the market to meet his cohorts and the various catches. Thoughts ran through my head, in my paranoia, that they were in cahoots and any minute the tea which was laced was going to kick in. I wondered how fast I could actually run before they had a chance to drag me to the back and divvy up my organs for the black market. Luckily, the only thing he wanted was for me to take his cell number and promise to return to Turkey as his “guest.”

The best had to have been when I arrived in Selcuk. I had been on a 12-hour bus ride when I was shuffled onto a little mini bus with an older woman. The woman was a full on native babushka with flower print mc hammer pants, head scarf, big saggy boobs (covered by a cable knit sweater) and deep lines around her eyes showing she’s lived a hard life picking olives. When we got onto the bus the driver instructed us both to the front row and the proceeded to stack her “luggage” on the side of the seats. She started to freak out because he was stacking her potato sacks and boxes on top of one another and then placed my not so light bag on top of the heap. This is when she absolutely lost her shit! Of course, I don’t speak Turkish and she kept talking to me and motioning to do something. All I could do was shrug my shoulders and repeat (in English) no Turkish, No Turkish. She found this completely unacceptable and continued to yell at the driver and grab my arm. Seeing as I was wedged in between her and the boxes I actually laughed out loud at one point because she was so upset and there wasn’t anything I could do to help. Once she calmed down she actually had her hand/ arm on my leg and was patting me like I was one of her own.

Maybe it’s that I scream Americana with my running shoes, jeans and bright blue jacket? Maybe it’s the off-season and people are bored and desperate for money? Maybe it’s that Turkish people are abnormally welcoming and inviting? Whatever the case may be it’s a good thing WC’s only cost 50 cents because I drank a lot of Turkish tea during my two week stay!

*Photos do not accurately depict the actual people in my stories, except for me of course!

Posted in Turkey, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Wishing you a Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah from the Holy Land

Posted on December 25, 2011 by surfas-ing

Today I start a three week volunteer program in Israel for the Israel Defense Force.  http://www.vfi-usa.org/

“You work on an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base performing non-combat civilian support duties such as packing medical supplies; repairing machinery and equipment; building fortifications; and cleaning, painting, and maintaining the base. Working alongside soldiers, base employees, and other volunteers, you will help Israel shoulder its defense burden”.

As of this morning I only know that I will be at Matzrap medical base on Tel Hashomer army base very close to Ben Gurion airport. I have NO idea what I’ll be doing.

I don’t think I’ll have internet access Sunday Morning through Thursday evening so my goal is to get caught up on posts about Turkey before I leave and time them to post while I’m volunteering.

Early morning hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia, Turkey!

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Istanbul, not Constantinople

Posted on December 23, 2011 by surfas-ing

Jodi & Chris take on Istanbul : Top 10 things to see & do

1. The Grand Baazar & Spice Market:

If you enjoy being hoched for rugs, jewelry, Turkish delight, dried fruit, nuts, scarves, towels, tea or spices this is the place for you. Bring small bills and be ready to haggle! And remember always buy Iranian saffron (don’t buy Syrian or Allah-forbid, Turkish)!

2. Enjoy a Turkish tea or Effes beer under the Galata bridge while also partaking in a local past-time of Nargile (waterpipe, hookah, sheesha) at sunset. Just be wary of the fishermen’s hooks swinging from the bridge above.

3. The Basilica Cistern: Underground water chamber capable of holding 100,000 tons of water supported by 336 columns (each 30’ high). Built in 476 ad, wow – that’s old!

4. Topkapi Palace: Circumcision room- yep, that made the top Ten. The exquisite tile and views (you pay for the view of the Bosphorus River and Marmara Sea, most expensive place to get a coke – almost 3 bucks). Lovely collection of jewels, china, silver that are impressive “spoils” of war.

5. Blue Mosque built-in 1603, named for the interior tile work is a wonderful place to visit but as it is a working mosque be mindful of the following prayer times: 5am, 7am, noon, 2 pm, 4pm and 6pm.

6. Boat tour on the Bosphorus River. Don’t be fooled, the castle at the last stop is off-limits but if you’re interested in a serious stair master hike go for the views.

7. Lamb Kebab, Lamb meatballs, lamb stew or really anything lamb. For vegetarians, they also have lamb.

8. Yogurt: for breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner…thin, thick, with a straw, with a spoon, with honey, with fruit, with lamb.

9. Go to Taksim & take in the view of old Istanbul from the Galata tower. 

10. A visit to the Turkish bath (Hammam). What can I say? When a large, Turkish, topless woman gives you a scrub like no ones business it’s memorable – given my current location I can’t really say more as I’m sure this is being monitored.

11. I know this is a top Ten list but the fresh OJ, pomegranate and grapefruit juice is a MUST, MUST, MUST – it’s a a buck. Best deal around. If you’re not into lamb, yogurt, lentil soup, rice or bread you can just have a juice diet through Turkey.

Posted in Istanbul, Turkey | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Only 12,541 km from NYC…where two seas meet!

Posted on December 21, 2011 by surfas-ing

It is often believed that the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean meet at Cape Point or sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Cape of Good Hope. This apparently is a long, heated debate between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point. I really don’t know and frankly I don’t really care. What I do know is that Cape Point is a beautiful place, home to the Cape of Good Hope.  I chose to rent a car with a fellow traveler and drive down to the Cape to assure us the flexibility throughout the day and to save a few pennies. There were a lot of high points from the day and a few not so high, what I can say with certainty is that I would love to spend more time in this neck of the woods hiking, camping and exploring. Unfortunately, because my fellow traveler forgot to mention that she had made plans at 6pm that evening with some long lost family our day was cut short. We didn’t actually stand on the actual Cape of Good Hope or do much hiking in the area but the day was still pretty stellar.

Driving on the “wrong” side of the road, for the first time, was definitely an experience. We had to pay extra so I could have an automatic car, trust me it was necessary. As it was every time I went to put the car in reverse, park or drive I automatically reached for the wrong side of the steering wheel and my hand kissed the window.  Plus, I had to keep reminding myself that the driver is ALWAYS on the inside of the road; of course, I did this out loud which made my passenger laugh from nerves.

I would definitely suggest to anyone visiting Cape Point to stay on the grounds if possible. Apparently, there are accommodations available for the more adventurous travelers; I think this would assure some real peace in the park before the caravans of tour buses arrive each day. I would also suggest leaving at least one full day to explore the park, if not two. On our quick return trip back to Cape Town we took the scenic route along Chapman’s Peak, this drive is not for the faint of heart or a drowsy driver. There are little towns all along the way to explore, plus the penguins at Boulders Beach, Muizenberg, Kalk Bay and Simons Town.

Posted in Cape Town, South Africa | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wine, wisdom and the pursuit of drinking

Posted on December 18, 2011 by surfas-ing

Sparkling wine, white wine, red wine, rose, port; it all starts to blur after the first vineyard and goes downhill around noon. I took a great wine tour of the Stellenbosch and Paarl wine region just an hour outside of Cape Town, South Africa.

Our http://www.wineflies.co.za/ guide gave us “drinking hats” at 9:30 am and said spitting or swallowing was always up to us….First stop Villiera Vineyard where we had a tour of the sparkling wine plant and given the rundown on history, production, bottling and blah blah blah. (FYI – sparkling wine is champagne, just can’t be called champagne if it’s not from Champagne, France). Moving right along; we promptly learned the five S’s of “proper” wine tasting.  Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, wine tasting a.k.a wine drinking for me has always been reserved for dinner, parties, dinner parties or if I was in a meeting. If you’re wondering if there is an opening at my previous job where wine drinking was required please email me directly.

Anyway, the five S’s of wine tasting: First you must See the color of the wine. Make sure to tilt the glass in order to observe the color, it’s best to see over a white surface. If I happen to be in a white tablecloth type of joint this will be easy, a bar bar not so much. Then again I don’t plan to be person at a bar “seeing” my wine or any of the other five S’s unlike a date I recently had where it started and ended when the guy proceeded to continually do step four. The second S; Swirl. Not the move from Seinfeld that Jerry Claims was stolen by Putty, but the move that requires you to gracefully swirl the glass with your wrist without looking like a amateur by either spilling or jerking the wine around in a not so swirly motion.  The swirl is preformed in order to let the effervescence release – I still require training wheels on this move, the table works brilliantly and is totally acceptable. Next is Sniff; you must stick your nose really far into the glass and take a big whiff then in one fell swoop complete step number four which is Sip. Sip, but don’t swallow or spit (yet) and perform step number five, Savor. Roll the wine around in your mouth and try to do some acrobatics with your tongue while at the same time  breathing in some fresh air (refer back to step two for why the wine needs air). At this point, the unspoken number six. If you’re not totally exhausted, you can choose to swallow or spit depending on how you liked the wine. I don’t like to be rude, so I typically swallow…

 In case you’re curious, we visited the following vineyards:

1. Villiera, small with a great patio for tasting and they serve full meals, popular for brunch. Cool place to see “sparkling wine” production.

2. Fairview, very commercial and big. Famous for their goats do roam and the real goats that live on the premises. They offer a delicious cheese and wine tasting, but no t-shirts for sale which was a bummer.

 3. Boer and Brit – very small, but very homey and unique bottling and creative labels.

4. Byerskloof,  awesome patio with misters and an amazing view to enjoy a delicious lunch.

5.Rustenberg, more commercial but very pretty grounds, quiet and historic buildings

6. Annandale, family run, very welcoming with delicious wines and horses

Posted in South Africa | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Stoked on South Africa

Posted on December 17, 2011 by surfas-ing

Just so you know, South Africa was a detour from my original plan. This crazy endeavor of traveling around the world stemmed from a dream to go to Costa Rica, practice a little Español and surf. The surfing torch I carry burns deep within my SURF-as soul. I grew up visiting SoCal multiple times a year and always dreaming about being a totally rad, totally chill, hang-10 surfer. Instead, I made due with skiing the fresh powder in the Rockies and never really had my way with a long board.

I woke up one morning after an unseasonably cold night late in the summer and realized that traveling through Eastern Europe at the end of November early/ December might be a very frigid and unpleasant experience.  Since the world was literally my oyster, I looked at the map to see where it would be HOT at the end of November. I honed in on South Africa where I knew it would be almost summer and outdoor activity would be plenty.  Once safari and sun were on my radar I was stoked on South Africa. What I didn’t realize (until I went shark diving) and what I’m pretty sure they don’t advertise is that while the weather in South Africa may be really nice the water is REALLY f’in cold. I’m not talking cold like you jump into a pool and it’s a bit of a shock, I’m talking freeze your balls off if you’re not wearing a wet suit cold. My toes and fingers froze after 30 minutes in the 10 degree Celsius (you do the math) water but my smile never faded for the 2-hour lesson. I took another lesson a few days later with the www.stokedsurfschool.com and by the end of the day I was hanging 10 and hangin’ with my instructor at the local surf beach, Glen Cove in Camps Bay. It was the most gorgeous day they had in a while according to the locals; we stayed on the beach and when we got really hot we cooled off instantly with a very quick dip in the ocean. We headed to Dizzy’s, the local’s spot, for après surf and the sunset. Not only did I ride in a few waves but also I experienced the local scene with SJ and her friends; really cool people with a great surfer vibe.

In a past life, pre-foot injury and pre-living in NYC, hiking was one of my favorite activities. I knew before I arrived in Cape Town that I wanted to hike to the top of the famous Table Mountain. However, the first rule of safety is NEVER go alone, especially when you’ve been warned against muggers and other shady people lurking to strike against innocent and sweet girls like me.  I waited for not only another fellow backpacker who was keen to hike but I also waited for the finicky Cape Town weather to cooperate. Besides the notoriously strong winds, sometimes gale force, there is a crazy weather phenomenon that happens over Table Mountain called a tablecloth. I don’t know the exact meteorology explanation but I do know that clouds, serious clouds, get stuck hanging over the mountain causing it to give the appearance of a tablecloth while the rest of the city is clear and sunny. Needless to say, hiking was not easy, and eventually I had to settle for taking the very expensive cable car up on my very last day. It was pure comedy as well; of all the days I was there it was possibly the WORST day to go. The whole city was clouded over and rainy; once we got to the top we had a minimal view for about 3 minutes. Then we couldn’t see shit, it was cold, rainy, windy and did I mention we couldn’t see shit?! Luckily, we had hiked to the top of the Lions Head Mountain on another half way decent day and got an awesome view of the city and some great views of Table Mountain. In case you’re wondering, my foot is doing excellently and I’ve been a walking machine.

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