Day 3...Cape Town to Port Elizabeth

WOW... this place is awesome!

Today we:

-Woke up at 8am.

-Ate breakfast.

-Picked up the rental car

-Realized they drive on the left in SA and the steering wheel is on the right (jk, I already knew this but I was excited to see how my skills and driving ability to score unwarranted speeding tickets and other various traffic offenses in America translate into this new style of driving)...mentally prepared for it...then...drove from our Inn in Constantia, a suburb of Cape Town full of vineyards, to downtown Cape Town to pick up our first-round match tickets at the official Fifa Ticket Collection Point and a GPS (yes, my father agreed we needed one*),

then we hit the road on a beautiful drive to Port Elizabeth...~750 km worth of driving, 9 hours on the road, but we have two drivers so it wasn't bad at all...plus the countryside and amazing kindness of South African drivers were plenty to keep us content!

It's hard to describe in words how beautiful Cape Town and the beginning of the drive was... just check out this video...I'm sure the second half is even more beautiful, the Garden Route, but it was dark...no worries, we will be back on this road in a little less than two weeks!

Hope you enjoy the video!

*so I mentioned my dad agreed we needed a GPS... I'm not saying he is a full out technological dinosaur

or that he is a snob who insists maps/written directions are still the way to go (or am I)...but he decided 

it would be environmentally green for us to go with the GPS as we would not consume paper for maps 

and written directions, or carbon graphite for pencil writing on the paper, or liters of gasoline while

navigating suburbia South Africa lost...just kidding, it was surprisingly easy to convince him to get one

and I think we are going to purchase one on Sunday as it will be more economical than renting one for

28 days...

Some things I already love about South Africa:

Reason 1: It is beautiful! (refer to videos and pictures)

Reason 2: People here are incredibly nice, kind, helpful and hospitable...(Prab you were right!...check

out my buddy's blog who is spending the summer in the mother city:

http://summerinsa2010.blogspot.com/)

...everyone smiles at you, says hello, and is eager to engage in a conversation. Whether it be the security

customs officer at the airport or the parking lot traffic attendant or the staff/owner of the B & B you are

staying at or a stranger (who happens to be a braai master) you met while waiting in line to catch a 

shuttle...(foreshadowing the posting for tomorrow maybe?)

Reason 3: Reason 2 times 48 million

Reason 4: Driving etiquette here is incredibly gracious. Some motorists drive slow, some drive fast, and

some just go with the flow - and everyone acknowledges these truths. The system here is brilliant. As 

soon as you approach a slow traveling car from behind, they will kindly pull onto the shoulder (which 

happens to be to the left, as we drive on the left side of the rode here, drive on the right side of the car, 

and pass on the right) and slow down to allow you to pass. If you see a car creeping up in your rear 

view mirror, you pull onto the shoulder, let the car pass...and you are pleasantly thanked by two or three

flashes of the passer buyers emergency blinkers, and in turn you should flash your high beams once as if

to say "your kindly welcome."

Reason 5: The first wildlife we saw were monkeys crossing the N2 (Major road from Cape Town to 

Port Elizabeth) ...I dunno I just like monkeys.

Reason 6: Beer is about two bucks a bottle in restaurants and bars...not that I have money to pay for 

it...THANKS MOM...I LOVE YOU!

Reason 7: I still have a lot more to discover, more towns/cities to visit, more roads to drive, more animals

to see and have only heard great things!

Reason 8: The locals tell me it is winter here...but it still reaches 65 or 70 ˚F...I don't think they are 

familiar with New England winters but I will not mention it to them in fear of angering the 

weather gods...

Reason 9: The World Cup is here!

Reason 10: The World Cup is here!

Reason 11: The World Cup is here!

Reason 12 through 100: The World Cup is here! (I think you get the point)

Some things I am still trying to figure out:

1.) It does get down to the 40's at night...and none of the buildings seem to have heat or seem to be 

interested in insulation from the cold...so make sure you bring some slippers, long pajamas, and have 

extra blankets handy for bed...(*disclaimer...this is coming from the AC King who sleeps in frigid 

temps back home...but these conditions are dwelling on unbearable territory so please pay mind)

2.) The Vuvuzela...(this deserves its own post)