Rotary GSE to South Africa 2009

Hermanus 05/02/2009
 

We just arrived in George after several days in Hermanus. Our first couple of days in Hermanus were rest days, and we were strangely excited about cooking for ourselves and doing our own laundry. The Pick n' Pay grocery store was similar to stores at home, but with labels in Afrikaans, a whole section of braai (barbeque) meat, and lots of instant coffee, which is the norm here. Here are Barb and I picking out spaghetti sauce.

On our most recent vocational day, Randy, Jenny, and I spent all day visiting projects of the Rainbow Trust. I figure it's mandatory that I include at least one photo of cute, underpriviledged children. These kids are at a preschool that has been helped out by Rotary funds, and the difference from some of the other preschools we visited is evident: these kids have much nicer facilities.

In Hermanus, BJ was being hosted by Jaco, who works as a veternarian. He took us to visit the cattery, a cat shelter adjacent to his practice. It was well maintained and relatively small, with about 25 cats and 5 kittens, who had their own room. It was nice to hang out with the cats, who were very social and let me pick them up, unlike my cat at home. A shout out to Forrest for taking care of Sinbad while I'm gone.

 
Fun stuff 04/28/2009
 

Our Rotary hosts have been taking good care of us these past few days. They've made sure that we've seen some of the best parts of their country.

On Saturday, we went wine tasting at Delta wine farm. They had some great stuff, and we were disappointed to learn that shipping to the U.S. wasn't an option. They also had a great museum detailing the history of the area, going back to the Stone Age.

On Sunday, we went to Spier, a farm and wildlife refuge. They take in cheetahs (and other animals) who have been injured or orphaned. Barb and I participated in the "cheetah encounter," which allowed us to spend some time petting Joseph, the cheetah.  Apparently, Joseph has starred in some film with Patrick Swayze. I thought he looked familiar.

On Monday we drove to Hermanus, where we'll be spending a few days. The photo above is from the cliff walk along the ocean. We have a free day today, which has been a much needed break. We've been walking around and eating all day. It's been very nice not to have a schedule.

A word to the homies: It's much more fun from this side of the blog when you all post comments!