Man vs. Beast: No Holds Barred

(Oct. 28, 2008)
As I went to go to bed last night I happened to look up at the ceiling before I turned off the light. When, what to my wondering eyes should appear? No, not a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer, but a small gecko-like lizard. The intruder was camouflaged with different hues of greens, reds, yellows and browns. He had snuck into the room through a bedroom window that had been left open all day. Although he wasn’t hurting anything at the moment, I could tell an attack was imminent. So a pre-emptive strike was in order. Girl and I devised a plan that involved a dish towel, two pillows, and Girl playing supervisor from the corner of the room. Little did I know this encounter would turn into an episode of the Crocodile Hunter.

Danger!! Danger!!

First, Girl had to convince me to use a dish towel to grab the wild African beast instead of using my bare hands. The towel was to ensure that my iron grip would not cause harm to the creature. I then stacked the two pillows on the bed to stand on so I could reach a few extra inches higher. After ascending the pillows, there we were, face-to-face, man vs. beast, his gaze piercing through my soul. Undaunted I moved in for the capture. He countered my first attempt by spreading out his specialized toe pads, gripping himself firmly against the wall. Girl called out, “grab him from behind so he will fall into the towel.” As I went to grab him a second time, he wedged himself between the ceiling molding and the wall. Who does this African lizard think he is? Enough was enough. I mounted an attack as fierce as an American “humanitarian effort” in an oil rich country. I would not let this lizard terrorize the innocent inhabitants of this bedroom any longer. With one final surge I scooped him off of the wall and into the towel. “Hold off! Unhand me, grey-beard loon!” the lizard appeared to cry out. Well “we crashed through the wall and into the street, kicking and a’ gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer. I tell ya, I’ve fought tougher men but I really can’t remember when, he kicked like a mule and bit like a crocodile. I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,” and as I held onto the ruthless reptile, Girl quickly opened the window. Thanks to Girl’s quick action I was able to relocate the domestic disturber back into the wilds of the backyard where he belongs.

If you see this lizard do not approach, and use extreme caution

Vietnamese Sushi....sure?

Two months in Cape Town has been adventurous, but Girl was starting to miss her Vietnamese food. Her lab members spent Friday at a chemistry conference, so Girl got the day off. We decided it would be a good opportunity to go explore for Vietnamese food in Cape Town. Yes, there is Vietnamese food in Cape Town, though our choice was very limited. We were able to find only one restaurant that served Vietnamese food. It was located off Long Street and named “Saigon”.

Vietnamese sushi bar?
Though the name Saigon suggested that it serves Vietnamese food, everything else about its description would suggest otherwise: “Saigon: Vietnamese Restaurant, Sushi Bar & Take Out.” Now, I’m not saying I am a Vietnamese cuisine expert, but from what I have learned being with Girl, I do not think Vietnamese people eat raw fish. Also, I was a little confused as to their choice of logo. They chose to use the modern flag of Vietnam (yellow star on red background), yet use the old pre-Vietnam War era name for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Wouldn’t it make more sense to either use the old flag (three red stripes on yellow background) with the name Saigon, or use the modern flag with the name Ho Chi Minh? You know, old with old, new with new. Now that I think about it, I don’t know if I would eat at a restaurant named Ho Chi Minh. It doesn’t sound all that appetizing.

He's as confused about the choice of logo as I am
The menu only had a hint of Vietnamese food. Aside from Pho Bo, there was ca kho though the traditional cat fish was substituted with a white king fish, banana flower salad, and a few dishes with lemon grass. The rest of the dishes were some version of Thai, Japanese or Chinese dishes (orange chicken?). Girl ordered Pho Bo and I ordered hot pot soup. Unlike in The States, the hot pot did not come in a pot, but instead, I received a small bowl of mainly broth with a few vermicelli noodles, mussels, calamari, and sparse veggies. Girl ordered the “large” bowl of Pho Bo, though what she got was not so big. Her Pho Bo was the size of a small bowl back home, though she said it tasted “adequate.” Yes, adequate just about describes the taste of the food. The Pho came with nuoc mam, but no basil. Instead, there were three large red lettuce leaves. We will probably not go back to the Saigon Restaurant, and it will probably remain the only Vietnamese cuisine provider in Cape Town for a while.

Typical bowl of Pho Bo
It wasn’t surprising when we learned that the owner of the restaurant was Dutch and there was only one Vietnamese person working in the kitchen. I’m not saying Dutch can’t cook Vietnamese food, but I imagine it would be pretty hard for an African native to replicate dishes he/she has never tasted. On the bright side, the sushi was authentic and has been rated as the “best sushi in Cape Town” on the internet. It probably has something to do with the sushi chef being an older Japanese man.

Needless to say, we are looking forward to getting back to Nashville for some Pho and Banh Mi (my favorite). Yum!
Banh Mi is not your average sandwich

Hiking Devil's Peak and the Knife's Edge

Our climbing route

Hiking Devil’s Peak was nothing short of an Indiana Jones’ movie. There was cliff hanging, rock scaling, snake fighting, a near death experience, and Girl’s first time peeing behind the bushes. Yes, I said near death experience, but let’s start at the beginning. The day (Oct. 19th) started early so that we could begin the climb at 8:00A.M. The plan was to hike up to the top of Devil’s Peak and back down, a hiking excursion of seven hours. Paul and Constance picked us up in their red VW Gulf, Bob. Bob has had a hard life. His left door refuses to open and he struggles getting up steep hills. He also doesn’t like water. Constance has told us of occurrences when Bob has decided to stop working at intersections during rainstorms. But on this particular sunny day, Bob took us safely to Rhodes Memorial, the starting point of the hike.

Wait? Did I say “hike?” It was more like five hours of mountain climbing without proper equipment. Many of the rocks were taller than me and required monkey gripping capabilities to get up. Our first stop was at The King’s Blockhouse, built by the British between 1795 and 1803. The King’s Blockhouse was placed on the ridge slope of the mountain because from that point it was possible to see False Bay on the Eastern side of the Cape Peninsula and from there it was possible to signal via the other blockhouses to Cape Town's Castle warning them of approaching ships entering False Bay.

Girl and Snoopy at King's Blockhouse


Prof. wanted to take out the UCT admin. building with this cannon

Girl’s professor announced “tea break” would be at our next stop, a WWII watch house located further up the mountain. At present, it appears to be used as a public urinal with no sewage system. The inner walls are decorated with graffiti and yellow urine stains. We did not take many photos at this point because we were too tired, although we do have photos to illustrate the difficulty of the climb up to this resting stop.

The climbing begins; all smiles in the beginning.



Paul struggling to make it up



Guy making his way



Paul hanging on for his life



Not the face of a happy climber. Notice the two handed grip. Paul later admited: "Honestly, I was physically shaking. I wanted to turn back."



Girl and Snoopy standing in front of WWII lookout station

From the WWII lookout station we continued up the mountain. Knife’s Edge was the next obstacle, but not before we encountered a Puff Adder alongside the trail. Because Girl is terrified of snakes, the photo is in thumbnail version. Click on it if you want to see a larger photo. These snakes are responsible for the most snakebite fatalities in South Africa.

Up and up and up we go


Puff Adder, click on photo to enlarge

Girl and Constance did not stick around to see the snake. They both made a mad dash from the area when they heard there was a snake near the trail; boulder-hopping their way around it and crossing Knife’s Edge in the process. The rest of us kept our distance, but did not panic. We just snapped a few photos and proceeded on to Knife’s Edge.

Knife’s Edge involved a lot of rock scrambling to cross. One side of the feature is a very steep rocky slope, while the other is a straight vertical drop of several hundred meters. Crossing it provided some great views and fun scrambling.

Knife's Edge



Making our way down through the outcrops



Don't look down

After Knife’s Edge we made our way up to Minor Peak, where we stopped for a rest and a snack. Of course I had to snap a few pics.



Climbing up to the top of Minor Peak



Can you spot the critter on the rocks?



Full body workout



Grrr...getting a grip



A rest well deserved at the top of Minor Peak



Peek-a-boo



Lizard basking in the sun

After the snack break atop Minor Peak we continued on our journey to scale Devil’s Peak. The ascent up the mountain was “a real slog” as they say. The trail is extremely steep, not visible in some places, and very badly eroded in others.

Looking over towards the slope of Devil's Peak

Looking for the trail

Girl had a scary fall when she stepped near the edge of the trail only to discover that the grass embankment was overhanging the edge of the slope. Luckily she only fell a few feet and was not hurt. Her fall quickly reminded us to be cautious and attentive during our climb. There were a few small rock scrambles up the slope to about the middle of the peak. From there, we continued along a contour path that wrapped along the edge of the peak. And when I say edge I mean it. There trail skirts along the cliff face and is less than a meter wide in places. Much of the climbing through this section of the hike involved careful footing, good hand holds, and an ability to control your nerves if you happen to have a fear of heights. Remembering to lean into the mountain and to not look down helped me out. Knowing that I was skirting along the edge of a cliff hundreds of meters high was not a thrill I was seeking to experience while in SA.

Girl says "No problem". Snoopy adds, "Just don't step to your left."

Paul: "To be honest, I am scared. I'd rather see a 100 snakes than do this."



Descent to death; view from the trail. Photo taken with one hand gripping to a rock.



Guy refuses to take a step closer to the edge to show his whole body for the photo...Aaahhhhh!!!

We just walked around that cliff face?



Thank God I survived!

After contouring around the cliff face, we came to one more rock climbing section that we had to scramble up before we were back on somewhat safer ground.

A final rock face to ascend



Why did I agree to do this?

The trail from here went up along a steep slope to the top of the peak. It was a relief to know that falling from this point on would not result in immediate death. After tackling the last slope we were finally at the top of Devil’s Peak.


We made it!

The views and experiences were definitely worth all the struggles and obstacles to make it up the mountain. Since we have posted so many views of Cape Town and the surrounding area in our previous hiking posts, we will spare you the pain of viewing more of the same. If you want to see the views from up top you can refer back to our previous entries.



Resting. See how cool Girl looks?



Cue the angelic choir to start singing now



A view of the cable car station on Table Mountain (refer to previous Skeleton Gorge hiking entry)



Lion's Head (left) and his body, Signal Hill (right)



Looking down at the Knife's Edge

After having lunch and a much needed rest at the top of Devil’s Peak it was time to begin our descent down the mountain. The trip down took about two hours as we walked along steep trails and numerous switchbacks. Going down was just as steep as going up and the trail was filled with loose rocks and sand. This made it difficult to stay upright and the presence of small trees and shrubs functioned well for handholds and balancing.



Girl is ready to go home

Steep, rocky trail down. My knees did not appreciate it.



Backside of Devil's Peak

When we finally made it down to a contour path the hiking was much easier. We made our way back to the King’s Blockhouse and then back down to the Rhodes Memorial where we stopped at a small café for a refreshing shake and orange float.


Can you believe we just climbed that?

The End.

Heads Up

Tomorrow is the ultimate hiking trip: 7 hours up Devil's Peak. We've been building up our hiking stamina for this trip. If we don't make it back, please send an air rescue crew up the mountain.

Tentative hiking route traced out in pink (subject to change)

Devil's Peak is the north-eastern neighbor of Table Mountain. The tentative plan is to start at Rhodes' Memorial on the slopes behind the UCT. From there we will head for the blockhouse at the foot of Mowbray Ridge. Mowbray Ridge is supposed to be an exciting route because it is a knife edge for some of the way and has some scrambling areas. It should offer some great views so expect more scenic overview photos of the Cape area.

The Price is Right

Unlike the conveniences of the one-stop-shop of Wal-Mart and malls, our shopping experiences in Cape Town markets have been more like tug-of-war matches with the sellers. As they believe here, money, especially the dollar, is handed out by The United States government for free; or as they say it “money grows on tree” in America. Knowing that the market vendors are asking exorbitant prices for their goods when we inquire as to their price, we have become more shrewd at bargaining and more bold with our offers. We got to put our newly acquired bargaining skills to use over the weekend when we went to a few markets over the weekend (Oct. 11 & 12, 2008).

On Saturday there was a small market just up the street from where we are staying in Rondebosch. It was at the park where Girl catches a bus to go up to UCT. Since the housekeeper, Rosie, was house-sitting while the landlords were away, we invited her to come along for a morning walk. She accepted our invite and the three of us made our way to the market.

Upon arriving at the market, we quickly realized that this was not the typical downtown Cape Town vendor market we were expecting. Instead, it was more of a flea-market-type atmosphere catering to middle to upper class, white, South Africans (i.e., things were expensive and most of the items were what you would find at a typical American yard sale and/or flea-market). For example, a wire-wrapped beaded key chain that sells for 7R downtown was going for 25R and rocks/minerals that we saw selling for 150R in Hermanus were listed at 285R. The prices were so high that we decided to haggle with the vendors for practice to see how far we could get them to reduce their prices, but we really had no intentions of buying because we could get the items easily elsewhere for much less. Our best result? Girl and I were able to get one vendor down from 180R to 100R for one item. Not too bad.

Another vendor was trying to talk Rosie into buying a large wire-wrapped and beaded boot, but she flat out told them that they must be crazy to think that she would pay that much money for something so simple. The vendor then began speaking to her in Afrikaans, and from what I could surmise after I had talked to Rosie, he was trying to convince her to get Girl and me to buy something from him and he would then give her the item at a much discounted price, perhaps even for free. He told her he was “her friend” and they should help each other out. Luckily for us, Rosie told the vendor that Girl and I were also her friends and that she would not allow us to pay so much money for any of his items. (I’m not sure if Girl and I taking her out for dinner the day before had anything to do with it). After their talk had ended, the three of us scanned the rest of the market and headed back to the house.

Since the Saturday market was a bust for buying anything, Girl and I decided to hit the Cape Town City Center on Sunday and try our luck at the market downtown. Our minibus ride into town was much easier this time around than our first endeavor. We hailed down a white, 12 passenger van and paid the 13 Rand (a little under 2 bucks) fee. The ride was bumpy and every thirty seconds, the driver’s assistant would stick his head out of the moving vehicle and call out “ Cape-Cape Town.” Every additional passenger required us to do a little readjusting to make room in the van for them. They packed us in like sardines. I never knew that one of these vans has enough room to seat 20 asses (in all sizes). The worst part was trying to make it out of the van through a path of “big boned” women (and it was more than just bones). People here are not as considerate as the ones back home. These ladies decided that they did not want to move, even when we asked to be pardoned by. So we just pushed our way through….you would have too.

Get on your bikes and ride!!

Sunday was a slow day in Cape Town: not many shops were open and the vendors’ market was hungry for customers; maybe a little too hungry. We first attempted to get a 3ft x 3ft, cotton wall hang that had a design of people. Here is a quick overview of the tug-a-war price negotiation:

Girl: How much for this?

Seller: This sell in shops for 500R, but for you, only 250R. <500r=53usd; 250r="26USD">

Girl: No way. That’s too much.

Seller: I am human and you are human, we can talk. How much you pay?

Guy: Your price is so high that we can’t even negotiate down to a reasonable price from there.

Seller: Talk to me. How much you pay?

Guy: No Thanks. There are plenty of people selling these. We will shop around.

Seller: How much you got?

Girl walked over to next vendor where she found a much larger (6x6ft) wall hang for the same 250R, but it wasn’t the right design. We walked up the road to a square of vendors, walking past the first vendor. Seeing us walking away, she grabbed her wall hang and ran after us, “how much you pay?” she asked. We refused and continued on our way to the main market.

Most of the trading event was very similar to the above scene. After a few hours, we came away with a wood carving of Africa, a 6x6ft wall hang, a set of six carved wooden coasters with holder, and two turtles carved from malachite. If you were wondering, we got the 6x6ft wall hang for 100R, much less than the asking price of 250R. Our bargaining skills have obviously gotten better. After spending the day tussling over prices, I think I am going to miss the haggling when I get back to The States with its fixed-price system.

The Big 5: elephant, lion, leopard, water buffalo, and rhino

Is it red enough, Thang?

360 view of coaster holder

Left: coaster lid. Right: coaster designs

They are buddies

After the market Girl and I decided to grab a bite to eat. Lunch was served on the top balcony of a café near the corner of the market. Chicken feta pizza with a mocha latte. It was a nice day for people watching from up top so we took our time with the meal. After eating our lunch and people watching it was time to find another minibus to take us back to Rondebosch. On the way home, I purchased a bouquet of tiger lilies and purple irises for Girl. She says that walking into the room is “awesome” with the flower scents lingering in the air.

They smell as good as they look

can't beat that

It was a fun weekend.

A little side note:
We don't have any pictures of the markets because taking pictures while shopping makes the vendors think that you have money and they are less willing to negotiate their prices. For this reason I also didn't wear my watch and Girl didn't wear any jewelry. Plus, it is just safer all-around while you are out wandering around not to look like you would be a profitable target for any muggers. =)