Climbing Table Mountain via Platteklip Gorge, 15 Dec

Okay, so it was a hot sunny day, and the hike was 3 hours, not the 1.5 we had been told about, but it was AWESOME! We started partway up the hill, and then hiked pretty straight up through the gorge to the top - 3,500 ft above sea level, with amazing views into the city and of the peninsula.


Below are three views from the top. Rachel and I were pretty beat at this point. Fortunately you can also purchase one-way tickets for the cableway down, so we took advantage of that option.

A Christmas Package from Hannah!

Any type of ‘real’ mail received from the States is always a big treat for us. Thus, when Hannah Hawkins (married to Matt, Julianna and Rachel’s oldest brother; they currently live in HI) informed us that she has packed a Christmas package for us, we waited with bated-but-not-quite-because-that-would-be-quite-a-long-time breath. A glorious day it was when a hefty box arrived stocked with chocolate chips, marshmallows, Kona coffee, macadamia nut treats (a specialty of Hawaii), and a few gifts to be opened on the 25^th. Thanks Hannah!

Carols by Candlelight, Dec 13

Each year the Kirstenbosch Gardens, an incredible gardens stretching along part of the eastern side of Table Mountain, hosts an evening of Christmas carols. Folks arrive early with picnics and enjoy munching bread and cheese, sipping wine, and chatting with friends until the program begins later in the evening. We arrived and met a few friends from church, but by the time the singing got underway there were probably 15 people bunched together, all connected in some way or another to The Message. It was a fun evening, especially to sing so many wonderful carols that really preach the truth about the meaning of Christmas.

Sunday Lunch with Fritz, 16 Dec

lIt is always wonderful to catch time with our good friend, Fritz van der Lecq. He is one of the big reasons that we are here in South Africa in the first place! It is strange to be here during the December festivities (such as the Kirstenbosch Carols, described/depicted in a previous posting), as it was exactly one year ago that we came to Cape Town for a week holiday, not only to visit Fritz and to see the sites, but also to discern more deeply whether or not this could be the next step for us. God is good – we have now made Cape Town home for six months!

Jim's Job: Short-term program with Union College

Whale-watching and shark-cage diving, 6 Dec

Very little has been said about Jim’s job on our blog, so it is about time to provide an update. In short, I continue to thank God for supplying such a job that is so well suited to my situation, skills and interests. Not only is it part-time and on-campus, but it is a fantastic opportunity for growth and experience in higher education administration/student affairs. I assist in the development and administration of short-term international academic programmes at UCT.

Our first group just departed after a 2 1/2 week whirlwind tour of Cape Town and its environs. It was a new kind of responsibility I have never had before and I definitely felt the pressure: if anything went wrong, it was basically my fault! However, aside from a few miscues, the trip went smoothly. We took them to Stellenbosch and South Africa’s famous wine region; small micro-enterprises in several townships which provide work for residents; a day-long tour of the Cape Peninsula; a visit to the old Slave Lodge (built late 17^th century); a walking tour of the city; and many other excursions, some academic and others not-so-academic.

One of the not-so-academic excursions consisted of a day-trip to Hermanus and Gansbaai, two small villages about 1 ½ hours east from Cape Town. Hermanus is known for its whales, Gansbaai for its sharks. More accurately, each year from approximately September – December scores of whales (mainly Southern Right) migrate to the southern tip of Africa to give birth to calves. One can stand on the shore in Hermanus and spot a dozen whales at a time during the season. We saw 4 when we visited, 2 of them within 40 yards of the rocks on which we stood!

Another seaside village, Gansbaai, is home to 8 shark-cage diving companies. This was very high on the students’ list, and 14 of the 18 elected to do it. I was going to pass on the experience, in part due to cost ( R1000 / $175) and because Julianna accompanied us on this particular day. But the shark-cage diving company said, “You must do it – no cost to you, or your wife! We want you to know what you’re groups are doing”. Obviously good business practices on their part; the students had a great time and I plan to bring future groups back to that company.

I say “the students” because Julianna and I did not particularly enjoy ourselves. The sharks were definitely impressive and there was a lot of screaming coming from the students, but the ocean was very rough and we were out on it for about 3 hours (it takes a long time to attract Great Whites apparently), and for most of it I was feeling very queasy and Julianna was throwing up.