Kitesurfing 101

I've wanted to kitesurf for years now - ever since I watched a show highlighting some of the tricks that can be done, namely jumping off the top of a wave, catching big air then landing and continuing on. When I was in Cape Town last winter (seasons are opposite so it was summer in Colorado) I tried to sign up for lessons but the weather didn't cooperate. I called as soon as I got back over a week ago and today was my lucky day. Julia and Pedro were my instructors and I had 6 hours for the first lesson.

I learned how to control a kite with a small trainer kite about 1.8 sq meters and then moved onto the inflatable trainer, which is 2.8 meters (something like that) and hooked into my harness. Like any cool sport, there is a lot of gear involved. Damn gear - I love it but why does it cost so much? Wetsuit, harness, sail, board, on and on.

I progressed rapidly through the kite drills and after lunch it was time to get into the water for the body drag drill. Basically I had to get the kite airborne then get into the water and let the kite pull me while performing figure 8's with the kite. It would have been a hell of a lot easier without the 3 meter waves crashing down on me. I tried and tried and tried...and tried. One of the owners came up and gave me some tips. I tried again. And again. I FINALLY managed to have the kite drag me about 50 meters. It was one of the most challenging things I've tried. My instructor Pedro kept telling me it wasn't my fault but the surf was too high. 4:00 finally came and we packed up and headed back to the shop across the street for the debrief.

All in all a great day. I am tired and sore and ready to go back tomorrow! Wish me luck....

Rocky Horror Show at The Fugard

Met Tariq and Iris for brunch then decided to head to the Table Mountain tram for a quick ride up as the table cloth phenomenon was in full force. Basically that means a cloud is blowing over the mountain and it appears as though there is a table cloth on the top. In this case the cloud blows over and form a cloud fall which dissipates quickly. It's a fantastic effect and we wanted to see what it was like on top. Ambereen had purchased a season pass last winter and forgot her pass while I didn't have my passport number so I was unable to purchase said pass. She negotiated a ticket for the trip after a 15 minute wait and I just bought a ticket as I could save the receipt and go back later in the week to buy the season pass as well. We got right on the tram and it was packed. What is it with these asian tourists who have their camera / phone / ipad up and taking pictures THE ENTIRE TIME? I mean, put the damn thing down and actually enjoy a few minutes of the experience for crying out loud...

Anyway, the cloud cover up top was intense - like a very thick fog - and it was blowing hard. It was also a lot cooler as we were suddenly 1800 meters above sea level. We didn't stay long as we scored cheap tickets to the Rocky Horror Show at The Fugard Theater thanks to Iris. It's an intimate theater and we had good seats. There was a great crown and although we got there a mere 15 minutes before curtain call we made it. The show was fabulous - much better than I had expected. Phenomenal cast, great costumes and the house band was tight. Frankenfurter was a riot. What a treat. The audience got into the show as much as they could but there are so many catch phrases, etc. that you have to be a student to catch them all.

Got home early to get some shut eye as I had a kitesurfing lesson scheduled in the am and I wanted to be sharp so goodnight.

London

Once again I had a smooth trip to Cape Town with a 15 hour layover in London. I arrived in London around 6 am and since my bags were checked through to Cape Town I bought a round trip ticket on the express train to Paddington. The train only took 15 minutes and was very comfortable. Once at Paddington I bought an all day ticket for the Tube. I made my way to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge but I got there too early, before the Tower of London opened, so I walked along The Queen's Walk to see some sights. It was an overcast day which quickly changed to rain. I am so happy that I brought my rain jacket and my backpack had a waterproof cover. My shoe selection sucked though. For some reason I thought that my Columbia water shoes were a great choice for flying but neglected to factor in walking for miles in London. My dogs were barking pretty quickly. I made it back to the Tower and had the place to myself for nearly an hour so I checked out the Crown Jewels with nobody else in the room. I also took a picture on the courtyard where Anne Boleyn was beheaded - Ambereen and I had watched The Tudors a year or so ago - and it was cool to see where so much history happened.
I continued on the Tube towards Westminster Hall & Big Ben. There sure were a lot of tourists taking pictures ;)

According to the map I was close to Buckingham Palace so I decided to walk instead of Tube it. I got a little lost as my map was not detailed enough but I was able to find someone to point me in the right direction. There are some great neighborhoods in that area. By the time I made it to Buckingham Palace it was getting late so I took a few pics and wandered over to the Hard Rock. I was going to buy a T shirt and a pint but they didn't have any bar stools at the bar and I was tired of standing so I left to head back to the airport. I didn't even scratch the surface of London but got a feel for the city and would love to go back some day and spend a week or two.

My flight to Cape Town was fine and I got in around 11:30 am. Ambereen picked me up and we went to her place where she dropped my off to go back to work. I started to unpack but had the urge to lie down for a few minutes. I got up at 5:40 pm! Where am I? What time is it?

Friday is a day to chill out. I'll take MyCiTi to the store and pick up a few things.

Saturday morning we'll hit the old Biscuit Mill for breakfast and some shopping - they have the best produce, honey, food, etc. Then we'll go to Kirstenbosch Gardens on Sunday.