Wines, Dimes, and Climbs: 23/11 - 24/11

Stellenbosch Vineyard

As I've mentioned in an earlier post, Langurg (the informal settlement in which I'm working) is located in Stellenbosch, an affluent municipality known for its wines.  After weeks of driving past dozens of vineyards nestled in the mountains of Stellenbosch, we decided to go on a wine tour.  The tour we chose stopped at four different vineyards throughout the day, with six different wines being tasted at each vineyard.  I learned a lot about wine, and I liked a lot of what I tried.  It was a lot of fun and I'm glad I did it.  However I won't rush to spend a day drinking.  Needless to say, I did not go to Mass Saturday night.  I probably would have smelled and swished the altar wine if I did.

Sauvignon Blanc at Fairview Winery

After we got back and refreshed ourselves, some girls left to see Catching Fire.  I decided to join the group of people going to dinner at the GrandWest Casino.  It is the largest casino in Africa, and has a  really good buffet restaurant.  We then tried our luck at the blackjack tables.  I sat down with R200, and left the table with R775.    Some of the guys I was with were not so fortunate.  We instituted a "sober buddy" system, where one friend sits at the table without playing to let the others know when it's time to stop, to reduce potential gambling problems.  It only works well when people listen to the "sober buddy".

View from Devil's Peak

Sunday we left early to go hiking.  There are three large mountains nearby that one should hike before they leave.  Devils Peak and Lions Head flank Table Mountain, the most distinguishable feature of Cape Town.  It is a huge tourist attraction, and has a cable car that will bring tourists to the top for those who don't wish to hike it.  Since Sunday was a hot but beautiful day, the base of table mountain was packed.  Some left to hike Table Mt, planning to take the cable car down, though apparently the cable car stopped working mid day.  Fortunately, I went with three other guys to climb Devil's Peak.

At the top of the Peak

It was probably the most intense hike I have ever attempted.  It took us 6 hours to climb to the top and back, with many breaks. I had brought two large water bottles, and we had to resort to refilling them in spring water we found. (One of our group was an experienced hiker, who tested the water first and determined it drinkable).  There was not a cloud in the sky, and the breeze that usually sweeps Cape Town was calm.  In other words, it was really hot and dry .  We also lost 20 minutes following a trail that wound it's way to a road.  We finally made it to the top after several breaks in the little shade we could find.  The view was remarkable.  There's still some debate over which is taller, Devils Peak or the Table.  We were very high up.

Going down, though faster, was harder.  The trip up was essentially climbing steps of natural stone, and going down we noticed all the loose stones that lined the path.  We finally made it to the bottom, and like a gift from the heavens, there was an empty cab waiting for tired hikers at the base of the mountain.

Since we were planning on hiking early on Sunday, I had looked into other Mass alternatives and found a 6 pm on Sunday at a church 25 minutes away by car.  With this being the final weekend of the Year of Faith, there was a special Mass at 11 in town that all priests in the diocese were to attend.  As such, certain Masses had been canceled, including a 10:30 am at my usual parish.  Knowing this, I called this new parish and found that their 6 pm Mass was still occurring.
  I had found that more people wanted to come when I went to afternoon Masses, so I assumed I would have sizable company. However, as I was preparing to leave, I found that the 6 other Catholics who sometimes came to Mass with me were either too tired from their hikes to Table Mountain, or had other plans for the evening.  So I took the cab by myself, spending a little more on the fare than I had anticipated, since I was paying the full amount.  It was worth it to me.

As I entered the church, I saw a sign welcoming pilgrims.  It seemed that in this Year of Faith, one could obtain a plenary indulgence by making a pilgrimage to certain churches, and this particular church was one of them.  Considering I had travelled halfway across the world and taken a R160 cab from the other side of the city, I felt I met the description of a pilgrim. I wasn't exactly sure what had to be done to get the indulgence.  I seemed to remember learning that part of it involves saying an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for the pope.  I did that, enjoyed the Mass, and even lit four candles (it costs R1, or 10 cents per candle) for safe travels for the coming week, for my family, my girlfriend, and for all the people in Cape Town with whom we have been working.  As I was leaving Mass, I asked the priest what was required for the indulgence.  He was a little hard to understand, but seemed to indicate that since the Year of Faith was officially closed by the archdiocese that morning, the indulgence offered was no longer valid.  I guess there's still a place in purgatory for me.  Or Devil's Peak.