We'll Take Two of Three

So, yesterday (Saturday) we had the pleasure of being woken up by the chatter of a few Duke and UNC students lounging around, when Caitlin knocked on my door, telling me that if I wanted to go on a wine tour, then I better be ready in 15 minutes. Apparently, the Duke/UNC students had arranged for one, and then went out really late the night before, and no one wanted to go anymore, so they invited us along. Needless to say, who are we to pass up a pre-arranged wine tour? So, we hopped on the bus to Stellenbosch, about an hour's drive away from Cape Town. South African wine is actually fairly well-known and recognized; at one point shortly after colonization, more than half of the wine drank in Britain came from South Africa. The vineywards were absolutely gorgeous, with many of the buildings still showings signs of their Dutch heritage. We went to four wineries and ended up buying two bottles of Le Bouquet, a really delicious white wine. It was really fun and a great last-minute way to fill the day. After getting back, everyone was pretty tired so most of us took naps before going out. We ended up going to Cubana, a Cuban hookah bar/restaurant/club/lounge in Green Point (sort of in between Long Street and the Waterfront) which was really nice, but super packed. So, after a few drinks we headed over to The Bronx, a moderately sketchy gay club that is about one step above Truman's in Mishawaka but still not coming close to The Complex. It turns out that Cape Town is like the San Francisco of the entire continent of Africa, and given South Africa's legalization of gay marriage following their rewriting of the constitution post-apartheid (it's still considered one of if not the most progressive constitutions in the world), it makes sense that Cape Town would become an international gay mecca.
Today, we are heading to one of the townships for a late lunch/early dinner. Apparently, many of the townships have large braais (BBQs) on Sundays with a lot of inexpensive, delicious food. So, I'm really excited to go and try what they've got! We go back to class again tomorrow and our teacher already gave us our first assignment (booooo) so it sounds like tonight we'll be staying in (my first night in since we got here). Lotte has been coming out with us and it sounds like she's having a really good time. Every time I found out something new about her I seem to be in awe of the amazingness that is her life (she hitch-hiked from London to Serbia in a week with only 15 pounds!!!!). Anyways, I hope that everyone at home is doing well. I miss you all!

Jason