This week I present to you, South Africa, a beautiful nation of 55 million people that captivated my heart. South Africa is a multiethnic society encompassing a wide variety of cultures, languages, and religions. It’s constitution recognizes 11 official languages. This rich variety of cultures is part of the reason I fell in love with South Africa. I’ll share some of the other reasons with these next two posts. Today we start with the second half of my Top 10 experiences in South Africa (and the rest of my trip). Without further ado, we start with #10. #10: Reunions in MadridI know this wasn’t in South Africa, but I had to find a way to include my week spent in Madrid on this blog. I’d visited Madrid before, back in 2012, as the last stop of my two-month EuroTrip. I was quite exhausted from all the travel and only saw a small portion of the city, last time around, so I was excited about the opportunity to go back and visit. Even more exciting, I was going to get to meet up with some new and old friends during my stay! Denise, a good friend from Carolina, has been living Madrid for the past several years. We often talked about a reunion and when the opportunity presented itself, I hopped on it and booked my flight! It had been at least seven or eight years since we’d last seen each other, but we picked up as if it were only last week when we last saw each other. Denise was gracious enough to let me stay with her in her beautiful apartment in the Chamberi neighborhood of Madrid. It was lovely to get to see a less touristy part of the city and experience a more authentic Madrid. The majority of my time was spent eating great food and going out with friends. In addition to getting to hang with Denise, I also got to meet up with Lee & Mikayla, two Irish friends I’d made while working at BotaHostel in Rio. They are such a kind-hearted and fun duo and am grateful I got to spend some time with them as well! I also managed to have quite the epic Saturday, highlighted by the Madrid Derby, Real Madrid v. Atlético Madrid at the world famous, Santiago Bernabéu, followed by Ed Sheeran and Anne Marie in concert at the WiZink Center. Didn’t have tickets to either when the day started, but didn’t let that deter me and managed to scalp some inexpensive tickets to both! Santiago Bernabéu, home to Real Madrid, did not disappoint. There was not an empty seat in the 81,000 seat stadium as the home team cheered and jeered the entire match. Real took a 1-0 lead at the start of the second half off a header from Pepe, but Antoine Griezmann and Atlético fought back with a last minute goal to salvage a 1-1 tie. It was awesome to get to experience a match of the quality live in that environment. Ed Sheeran was the hottest ticket in town that weekend! I arrived to the venue about an hour before show time, but did not come across a single person selling a ticket. There were tons of fans hoping to find an extra ticket to the show. Right as I was going to call it and head back, a guy came up and asked if I was looking for a ticket. His friend didn’t show up and sold me it for below face value. I thanked him and join him and his friend for the show. They were two foreign exchange students from Nepal and India. Ed treated the sold-out arena to an incredible show! 9: I <3 MusicKeeping with the music theme, next on the list is the live music I got to see and explore in South Africa. As many of you know, I love going to live shows and music festivals with friends. Cape Town provided some great shows! When I was in Brazil, Alexis, a friend of mine from NY, posted something on Facebook about Ultra South Africa in February. When I realized I’d be in town during that time, I immediately bought a ticket! In addition to seeing some of the world’s most famous DJs such as, David Guetta, DJ Snake, and Martin Garrix, there were some local producers I was excited to see, namely Black Coffee, a South African producer who has recently collaborated with Drake on "Get It Together" off Drake's new album "More Life". The festival took place in Cape Town Stadium, which was built for the 2010 World Cup. It was a night filled with lights, great music, and even better friends. Alexis and I were joined by two good friends from Cape Town, Rosie and Jannis. We ended up befriending Andi, Felix, and a few other Germans, who would become good friends as well during my time in Cape Town. Ultra wasn’t the only festival we got to check out during my time in Cape Town. Our squad of Rosie, Charlotte, and Jannis, took a little road trip and camped out on the beach for We <3 Summer, a small music festival set right on the beach of Kogel Bay. It was a beautiful setting with the Hottentots-Holland Mountains as a backdrop. Our friends Andi and Felix joined in on the festivities as well The festivals were a lot of fun, but just as fun were the live concerts at Kirstenbosch Gardens part of their Summer Concert Series. I was lucky enough to attend two shows of local South African acts, Lira and Mi Casa. Both acts bring a ton of energy and feel good vibes, perfect for a Sunday evening in the park. I highly recommend checking these acts if you aren’t familiar with them. I’ll share two of my favorites of each on here. #8: Johannesburg: History & RenaissanceJohannesburg, aka Joburg aka Jozi, was an interesting city full of history. I stayed at CurioCity Backpackers, in the central Maboneng Precinct of Joburg, neighborhood that is reinventing itself with the advent of art and new businesses. Maboneng has been labeled the “epicenter of the Joburg inner-city renaissance”. With a vibrant culture and welcoming community it was a great place to spend a few days in. Similar to the Old Biscuit Mill in Cape Town, and Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, Joburg has Market on Main in Maboneng and Neighbourgoods Market in Braamfontein, two smorgasbords of food that will have something for all tastes. I spent my weekend days walking around the markets and enjoying as much of the delicious food my stomach could hold. Joburg also provided a much needed glimpse into the deeper history of apartheid and its remnants. I booked a full day Soweto tour with CurioCity, to get a better understanding of it’s history. Soweto is the largest township in South Africa and is home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners, the late Nelson Mandela and the Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Originally developed to separate blacks and whites, it went on to become the largest Black city in South Africa. Our tour started in one of the poorest sections of Soweto where we had the opportunity to visit with a preschool, the Little Rose Center, that the tour partners with to support their efforts. Here we got to see some of the work they are doing to provide nutrition and education to some of Soweto’s neediest youth. In addition to the preschool, the center also houses a small number of students from 4yo-20yo that live and study there. We got to hang out with some of the kids during their recess and play with them on the playground. One of the most memorable moments was when one of the little ones, about four years old, came up to me and started pointing at my shoes and then at his shoes. I was confused but when I looked down, I saw we both had TOMS on! I was pleasantly surprised to see most of the students had a pair of black TOMS on. Anyone that knows me, knows how much I love my TOMS, but to see their one-to-one program actually play out was something special. The tour ended with a visit to the Apartheid Museum, a stunning collection of exhibits that truly depict the horrors of the oppressive system of racial discrimination and segregation, but also of the hope one Nelson Mandela has helped harness for the future of the nation. Needless to say, I was moved to tears at various points in the museum by how crude and recent this all was. This museum is a must for anyone visiting Joburg. While Johannesburg and the rest of the country have a long way to go, there are pockets of hope that illustrate what is possible for the future of this beautiful nation. My hope is that they continue to spread throughout the city and the rest of the country as it continues to work towards a better future. #7: Kruger National Park: Safari Time!Part of the reason I decided to extend my time is South Africa past my initial March 1st departure date, was I wanted to go on safari! I’d gotten so caught up with work at SAEP and 33 South my time flew by and March 1st came and went! There’s no way I was going to travel all the way to South Africa and not cross off one of my bucket list items. So I extended my trip by a few weeks and made sure I had a few days to go to Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest game reserves. It’s famous for high density of wild animals including the Big 5: lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalos. Booking tour safari can run up to $2,000 for just a few days, so I decided go with a friends recommendation to rent a car and do some drives on my own. Boy, am I glad I did that! Not only did I save myself a lot of money, but I got to explore as much of the park as I wanted! ![]() I went on two full day drives throughout the park. My two drives went from 5am to 4pm and 9am to 6pm. I stopped for lunch each day, but the majority of those 48hrs was spent driving to, through, and from the parks. And I loved every minute of it! It was everything I could’ve hoped for and more! I even made a list of all of my sightings. Check it out along with some of my favorite shots of the two days! 747 Impalas 82 Elephants 80 Plains Zebras 65 Chacma Baboons 25 Waterbucks 19 Vervet Monkeys 19 Blue Wildebeest 13 Water Buffalo 10 Hippos 7 Kudu 5 African Fish Eagles 5 White Rhinos 3 Cheetahs 3 Grey Herons 2 Male Lions 2 Giraffes 2 Tortoises 1 Porcupine 1 Crocodile 1 Leopard 1 Nyala 1 Turtle 1 Owl Wow! That was a lot! #6: On Top of The World: Hikes in Cape TownAs I’d previously mentioned, one of my favorite things to do on this trip was to go on hikes, and Cape Town was no exception. It started with one of Cape Town’s most imposing hikes, India Venster route up the majestic Table Mountain. Less than 24hrs after arriving to Cape Town after a hectic 72hrs traveling from Rio to Cape Town, I hit the trail with some of my good friends from NY, Cate, Sarah, and Jodi. It was a challenging, yet fun route that offered some spectacular views of the city. It took us a few hours to go up, but since we started at dawn, we were back down by 10am ready to make the most of our day. My favorite hike to do in Cape Town was Lion’s Head, it’s a pretty quick hike up, less than an hour, and offers in my opinion the best views of the city. I was even fortunate enough to do a sunrise hike with one of the great friends I made in Cape Town, Chwayita, the night of a full moon. What made it even more special, was it being Chawyita’s first time. Being able to show a native Cape Townian a new perspective of their beautiful city, a sight not all it’s residents are fortunate enough to see, was a special moment in my time in CT. We meditated as the sun rose over the horizon and allowed its radiant heat to warm our bodies and warm our souls. It was a blissful start to our day. I wish everyday could start like that. One of the aspects of SAEP that I really connected with was their commitment to providing their students with opportunities to explore the beauty of the environment. I was fortunate enough to go on a hike with a group of Grade 9s I taught from the Philippi township to through the Newlands Forest. It was so powerful to see them really enjoying the peace and serenity that comes along with being in nature. I hope y’all enjoyed 10-6 on this countdown. Be sure to check in next week to see what comes in at number one. I also want to remind everyone of the fundraiser I’m doing for SAEP for my birthday coming up in less than two weeks! If you have the opportunity to donate to support the incredible work that SAEP does in Cape Town, please do. Check out the links below for more information! *** Pedro's Birthday Request***I am organizing a fundraiser for my birthday for an organization very near and dear to my heart, South African Education and Environment Project - SAEP. This year instead of gifts or birthday drinks, I'm hoping at least 30 friends will donate $30 or more to SAEP to support the work they do in Cape Town. I hope that you will be able to contribute I had the privilege of volunteering with their various programs supporting youth from one of Cape Town's poorest townships and know first hand how impactful their work is. Please check out the link below to learn more about the incredible work they do and how YOU can help!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorColombian-born, Brooklyn educator traveling the world Archives
May 2017
Categories
All
|