Table Mountain Hike: 2 Way Travel with foreign students

The new semester and school year begins...

Last week 2 Way Travel (Jul's work) took a group of 50 new American study abroad students on a full day hike on Table Mountain. It was a very sunny and warm day but the views were clear - such beauty that it wasn't hard to get up the energy to keep hiking and climbing! Jim joined too, along with eight other 2 Way Travel South African staff/volunteers to befriend these new students.

View down toward Constantia winelands, where we started.

Early in the hike...this part of the trail was actually paved! In the background you can see some overnight huts for hikers and beyond that the suburbs and another mountain range.

Yep that's a big group! (and this is just some of them)

Now at the top! The highest point on Table Mountain: MacLear's Beacon at 3,563ft, with False Bay and the rest of the Cape Peninsula in the background. Awesome! And I was pretty excited that my back felt good - this was the most physical exertion I've had in a while and I was able to handle it.

With Mike, my wonderful "boss." Don't I have a great job?!

More flowers of the Western Cape

Back to the books

Yep, it's back to the academic grindstone for me. Our 4 weeks in the States for Christmas felt like a genuine holiday - I didn't once think about my thesis. However, upon our return to Cape Town in early January it was again time to hit the books. My supervisor had marked up the first draft of my thesis, which I had submitted before the holidays, with lots of comments and suggestions. Since then I have been hard at work slicing and dicing, honing and re-phrasing, abbreviating and in general coaxing my thesis into (what I hope to be) its final and acceptable form.

I submit the final draft on 13 February. It's hard to believe that I'm within reach of the finish line for this programme at UCT (to refresh your memories, I'm finishing up the Master's of Philosophy in Higher Education Studies). It's been an amazing experience!

A couple of pix of UCT's upper campus, where I have spent much of my time in the past 1 1/2 years. It's gorgeous.

Welcome to 1 Pillans Road - garden cottage of "Cottage House"

As of Sunday 25 Jan we are officially moved into our new place! It's still in Rosebank and only a block from our previous flat. We are both pretty ecstatic about the new location and set-up - more private and quiet, with its own patio and garden area (and less rent!) plus very friendly landlords. In the past during walks around the neighborhood, we had always admired this house and property, so to find ourselves living there now - !

Monday morning was our first day to wake up in our new home, and since it was a sunny summer morning we ate our breakfast outside. Naturally Jim took the photo while I posed (in my pajamas).

There's breakfast: coffee and Jim's homemade buttermilk-bran rusks. Oh and fruit of course (not pictured). Nectarines, plums and mangoes are in season now.

Monday night I watered the flowers, which was probably the highlight of my day. In this photo you can see the front double-door entrance and the farm-style door to our bedroom on the right.

Here's the view from our cottage up to the main house, where Jon and Ann (the owners) live. Since a lot of the larger homes in Cape Town have "names" (I think that's a British thing?) next to the number, this house is named "Cottage House." It's just over 100 years old and typical for its time in Cape Town. So I guess that makes us the "Cottage House Garden Cottage." How's that for a mouthful?

Obama and 1st Days Back

I'm finally getting around to posting a few photos of our first couple of weeks back in Cape Town. It is SO GOOD to be back! Five days after we arrived we moved out of 1 Gavenwood and temporarily in with a friend from church, Kirsty (until our new flat was ready). While we were staying with Kirsty the inaqueration of President Obama took place. News headlines were enthusiastic here and we were able to watch the moment live on a local station.


During the evening as we watched the ceremony, Kirsty made pancakes (as South Africans describe what we would call 'crepes') as a special treat.

With American friend Lisa - and the headlines of our paper on the 'day after'.

Lounging in Kirsty's double-wide hammock one evening. She has a lovely patio and garden at the back of her flat. Note K's cat Smudge sitting up on the wall at the back of the garden, and Smudge showing off her beautiful eyes below.