Cape Town - Week 7

Bokkkkkkkkkkkkkkke!! Bokkkkkkkkkkkkeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! If you did not happen to catch the match on Saturday, as most likely a replay of blind monkeys playing poker was being shown on ESPN the Ocho instead, the South Africa Springboks are officially the 2007 Rugby World Cup Champions! In an intense match made up of only football-equivalent field goals, South Africa defeated England 15-6, and thus secured their 2nd ever rugby world cup title. Although I have only been a fan of the sport of rugby for less than 6 weeks, last night was quite possibly one of the greatest spectator moments of my life. Watching the match at a local bar in Cape Town, I, alongside of about 300 wildly frenzied fans, cheered on the Springboks throughout 80 minutes of intense rugby action. And when the clock finally ran out, and the championship was in the hands of South Africa, absolute mayhem broke out (video is on facebook if you are interested). Singing and cheering. Hugging and dancing. Honking of car horns as less than sober fans took to the streets, waving flags from their vehicles. You’d be hard pressed to find one not-completely-elated person in this entire country Saturday night (probably a different story the next morning as the post-game hangover kicked in). I cannot even imagine what it was like for my flatmate Kevin, who booked a flight to actually go see the game in Paris literally 3 days before (with of course no ticket to the game, no visa, or place to stay, at the time of the purchase of his $1,200 flight – now that’s dedication).

Aside from the festivities related to the rugby championship, the rest of my week was quite possibly the most eventful/uneventful week thus far. While no photo shoots occurred for the Cape Times (as I have momentarily been fired from my volunteer job until I submit a more “news-worthy” portfolio), I did manage to get in some amazing shots from my mothers 1st cousins (yes, another never-met-you-before-but-somehow-we’re-related relatives) gyrocopter. If the picture below does not do justice to this airworthy vehicle, it is like a mini helicopter, although you sit completely out in the open. No roof above your head. No walls to the side to keep you from plummeting thousands of feet below. Only a trusty seatbelt, and of course a nice little bug-shield to protect you from swallowing one of those damn malaria-infected mosquitoes.

Flying approximately 1,000 – 2,000 ft in the air, we traveled at about 100 MPH all over the city of Cape Town. Across the Atlantic Ocean, witnessing a mother and baby whale swimming alongside one another. Over secluded sand dunes, located in the remotest parts of the city limits. Even a few hundred feet above the shoreline, passing over the heads of dozens of pointing beach goers, watching our ridiculous aircraft pass by, just above their reach. I will let the pictures below tell the rest of the story, but it was truly an amazing experience. My favorite part of the entire journey was the point at which the following was stated to me over the radio, just before a 2,000 ft free fall to within a few dozen feet of the ocean below: “Now Mark, don’t worry. I’m just going to kill the engine for a bit so we can coast down closer to the water a bit faster.” With one crash already under his belt, I was more than happy that my 2nd cousin did not add to that tally with me in the back seat.

Well, that’s about it actually.

Onto this weeks lesson:

“Learn me something something about South Africa.”

This Week's Topic: The Cape Doctor

Every summer, from about November to February, a wind as fierce as any hurricane, arrives into Cape Town and literally just blows and blows and blows. Now, this is no oh-my-god-it-was-windy-yesterday type of wind. It is everyday. Nonstop. With a few breaks here and there, but more or less, a constant blowing of gods wrath (pick whichever one you want/believe in).

Reaching speeds of up to 100 MPH as the wind whips over Table Mountain (creating an amazing “tablecloth” cloud over the mountain), the Cape Doctor, also known as the “South Easter,” can blow consistently at speeds of 50 MPH all day long. All. Day. Long. For the most part, everyone seems used to it, although obviously there are negatives to such a wind. For instance, certain beaches are completely off limits, as the blowing sand is worse than being lost in a Sahara dust-storm. And of course driving with two hands is an essential, as a strong gust can literally throw you off the road (especially when driving the “Green Monster” -- aka Lucy the Lawn Mower)

Of course then, why is it called the “Cape Doctor?” Well, to quote half the South Africans to which I have talked about this subject: “See that shit over there (pointing to the hazy smog on the horizon). It takes all that shit and gets it the f*ck out of here.” Thus, the wind literally picks up ALL the pollution and smog and blows it away, leaving the air as crisp and clean as a Colorado mountain morning. Thus, the Cape Doctor -- of which I have only experienced the “mild” version, which was still strong enough to shake my entire friends flat.

Onto the pics... (no clue why the captions were cut off...)

	Flying high in the Gyrocopter
	The Gyrocopter itself -- for those "Neverending Story" diehards, this could quite possibly be the greatest designed machine in the world
	Mother and baby whale swimming in the Atlantic
	View of Cape Town from up above
	Some random sand dunes literally in the middle of nowhere
	Showing off my USA/SA pride -- yes, I know, I'm quite creative
	South Africa vs England -- the ultimate battle of body-painted fans vs oldskies with curvy teeth
	Bokkkkkkkkeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!