May 30

First, let me say a warm South African Happy Birthday to Laz!

30.05.09

OK, so there has been little to no opportunity to log onto the internet since we’ve been here. I ended up paying R80 for a 60 minute access card at the hotel, and then was still unable to connect for more than a few minutes. Then, yesterday, when Jennie and I were walking on Green Market Square we found an Internet Café which charged R5 per hour, so I felt a bit of disappointment. And still had no time to connect.

We’ve been running and running the entire time we’ve been here, but yesterday, the ferry to Robben Island was cancelled because of choppy water, so we had an entire afternoon to ourselves. Jennie and I went in search of lunch on Green Market Square and in the process found a very soft and pretty scarf (for little money), an ATM, a great little place to eat and I can’t remember the name of it, a new and fabulous friend, and an Internet Café. Lunch needs some explanation – there was this quaint little bistro advertising pizza and pasta and emanating the most delicious smells, so we stopped in to have a bite to eat. I can’t remember the name of the place, but I’ll see if I can find out so in case anyone reading is in Cape Town, this place can be on the list of things to do/see. Anyway, we went in and the sweetest guy (Ernest) greeted and seated us. He walked us through the menu and soon had our order for pizza. The pizza was very good, and Ernest was very attentive. And adorable! And helpful. When he brought our bill, he had included two thick brochures of things to see and do in Cape Town.

While Jennie was using the Internet, I walked up the street to the camera store in search of a battery charger for my camera. Aside from the store charger, they didn’t have the charger I needed, nor did they have a fully charged battery that would go in my camera, but they were so kind, they told me they would charge it for me and I could come back in an hour or two and it would be fully charged. So, I left my battery and headed over to MedSport, a store that sells prosthetics and orthotics.

I’ve been having a great deal of trouble with my ankles and feet swelling, so I had asked the concierge where I could find some compression stockings. He told me MedSport had them, but they would need to see me to fit me before I could get them. So, I stopped into MedSport and saw a nice man named Malcolm Freedman who had a chat with me asking about the problem and assessing the situation. He said he normally liked to fit first thing in the morning so the swelling was gone down, but as I’m leaving before he opens again, he worked around the time of day. After he fit me, we had a nice long conversation about the program and what my thoughts are about what we’ve seen so far. Malcolm is truly a nice person and I really enjoyed my chat with him. He gave me a business card and told me to keep in touch with him, and I plan on doing just that.

I was on the back side of the building that houses the hotel, so I went up to our room and dropped off my purchases before heading back to get Jennie. I ran into two more girls on the trip - Ashley and Ashley who are also roommates – and they didn’t know how to get to Green Market Square, so since I was headed back over there, I took them. Just as I was dropping them off, who in the world did I run into but Ernest! I went in for a moment to chat with him. We talked about William Petersen and theater and writing and Cape Town and Johannesburg and Memphis and Chicago – all in the blink of an eye. Ernest is the best, and we exchanged email addresses and plan to keep in touch. I went to get Jennie and brought her back to Ernest for a hello and a hug, and once we chatted again for a little bit, he somehow committed himself to showing us a side of Cape Town that was not on our program (which really only a resident can do!). We decided what time we were meeting up, and then we were on our way.

We had dinner as a group at Bayside Café which was right on the beach. It smelled amazing and I wanted to put my feet into it.

After dinner and returning to the hotel, we got ready and headed out to meet Ernest. We went dancing! We had so very much fun, and I am really, really glad we did it. And I’m glad we met Ernest! What a wonderful guy!

So we stayed out late, got a little sleep before we had to pack and head for the airport, and while it probably wasn’t the best choice in regards to the body’s need for sleep, I wouldn’t do it any differently at all given the chance.

Now I’m sitting in the airport of Cape Town waiting to board the plane for JoBurg. I won’t be able to connect until late tonight or tomorrow, so when you’re reading this, keep in mind the difference in when it was written and when it was posted. (I changed the time)