Riding an ostrich

While I have never ridden a horse, I now can say that I have ridden an ostrich. Although a unique experience, these animals are rather ugly and don't smell too good. Also, they are capable of killing people and large animals with their claw on their foot.

Boulders Beach

Boulders Beach, located near Simon's Town, is home to a colony of 3000 African Penguins (from 2 breeding pairs in 1982). There are only two other penguin colonies on Africa's mainland (the rest are located on islands). These penguins were formerly called Jackass Penguins because they sound like donkeys when they bray. The African Penguin population was reduced by 90 percent over the course of the 20th century.
Simon's Town served as the winter harbor (June to September in the Southern Hemisphere) for many trading ships, as it was safer than Table Bay near Cape Town. In addition, the city served as a naval base for the British Royal Navy from the early nineteenth century to 1957 (interestingly, British officials at Simon's Town were responsible for Napolean Bonaparte's health when he was exiled to St. Helena Island in the south Atlantic from 1815-1821 and the base played an important role in stoping the African slave trade). It is currently a naval base for the South African Navy.

Cape of Good Hope

Yesterday, I visited the Cape of Good Hope, which is considered to be the most south-western point on the African continent (the most southern point is at Cape Agulhas. Cape Agulhas also has the distinction of being the official location where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. However, based on water temperature, this location actually varies). In 1488, the Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Dias became the first European to round the cape-there is evidence that the Chinese, Indians, or Arabians accomplished the feat before, but from the opposite direction. Dias initially named it the Cape of Storms, after the weather he experienced there. However, the king of Portugal renamed it because of the potential the route to the East had to bring riches to Europe. This is one of the most spectacularly beautiful places that I have ever been. My only other recollection of being so awed by the physical world was on a hike that led to Lake Michigan in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore.

Hiking Table Mountain

Over the weekend, I hiked to the top of the 1,086 meter Table Mountain in Cape Town. The name comes from the unusual top to the mountain, which is essentially a flat surface. Lengthwise, this surface is about 3 kilometers. Oftentimes, the mountain will be covered in clouds. This occurs when moist air from the ocean is lifted when it runs into the mountain. As this air rises, it reaches its dewpoint, forming the clouds. The "Mensa" constellation, appearing only in the Southern Hemisphere, is named after Table Mountain. This gives Table Mountain the distinction of being the only geological feature in the world that has a constellation named after it. In addition, the mountain is the only location where the Table Mountain Ghost Frogs resides.

Greetings from South Africa

Since we are already two weeks into the quarter I figure I better start blogging. I arrived in Cape Town, South Africa early Wednesday March 28th after 20 hours of flying and a 12 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany. From the Cape Town airport, the group traveled to the university town of Stellenbosch, the second oldest city in South Africa (you can probably guess what is the oldest). The city was founded in 1679 and is about 30 miles from Cape Town. Stellenbosch university was established in 1918 and has around 20,000 students. The university is noteworthy among South African institutions of higher learning in that most lectures are delivered in Afrikaans (this is significant; I may explain in a later post.) Afrikaans, one of eleven official tongues the country has (English is another), originated from the Dutch language, although it is grammatically simpler. Southern Africa is the only place in the world where the Afrikaans language is native. The English words "trek" and "veld" come from Afrikaans.