NYC: So much to see, so little time

Two and a half days in the Big Apple

Times Square at night

We arrived in New York City on a Sunday morning after almost 30 hrs of travel and transit from Cape Town to JFK via Dubai. After making it through passport control without a hassle, we jumped in a yellow NYC taxi and headed to our Airbnb accommodation in Manhattan's East Village. The tiny New York apartment had interesting décor and an unfortunate proximity to the street noise.

By 10:30 we'd dropped our bags and were ready to explore. I had made plans to meet up with one of my high school friends who was in NYC working as an au pair, so we set off for Columbus circle near Central Park. Navigating the subway system proved remarkably easy, using a combination of Google maps and mobile apps. Our first stop was a Starbucks where I purchased a Pumpkin Spice latte, which turned out to be very orange and very sweet.

Once we'd met up with my friend, we bought some lunch at Whole Foods and headed into Central Park. While dodging horse-drawn carriages, we strolled past vendors selling magnets and artwork, entertainers blowing giant bubbles to the amusement of kids, a baseball field with a game in full swing and squirrels frolicking on the lawns. It was a beautifully sunny Sunday afternoon, the leaves only just starting to hint at the change in seasons, and New Yorkers were making the most of it. Entering from the South, we made it as far as the Bethesda Terrace before we turned around.

After we'd explored barely a fifth of Central Park, we headed off to Times Square to behold the madness. I scored a free coffee at a Starbucks on 5th Ave when I tried to purchase a latte with a $100 bill! We walked up and down fifth avenue, making a quick stop at McDonalds to use the restroom. We said goodbye to my friend and Nina and I ate dinner at a corner Asian restaurant before going to our Broadway show.

By the time Wicked was set to begin, we were just about ready to pass out from jetlag and pure exhaustion. I was certain I'd sleep through at least half the second act, but I my eyes were glued wide open. The sheer energy, stage design and quality of performance blew my mind. Needless to say, when the final round of applause died down the adrenaline rush that had kept me awake through 2hrs of stage magic died with it. I vaguely remember walking back towards Times Square and the dazzle of the bright lights and massive screens. I can't remember exactly how we made it back to our apartment in East Village but I assume the subway was involved.

NYC Culture

Monday morning dawned and I had a massive blister on one of my feet. Nina had big shopping plans so after breakfast we walked (ok, I limped) down towards the Lower East Side. Unfortunately, most of the stores were closed and were only to open at noon and we'd headed out at 9am! After lunch at the Fat Radish, a super hipster vegetarian joint, Nina and I parted ways with plans to meet up at the Staten Island Ferry later.

I jumped on a subway to Rockerfeller Center and purchased a ticket to ride the elevator to the Top of the Rock. Luckily I dodged the canned photo shoot in front of a backdrop of scaffolding suspended above the city ("smile, you're on your lunch break", "aaah, you're falling!"). The whole of Manhattan stretched out before me in all directions and I took a few obligatory selfies with the iconic backdrop of the island. It was surreal to be so far above the mad crowds with the general humdrum of the city only a faint murmur. The souvenir shops were filled with the generic keychains, mugs and t-shirt assortments. To make sure I'd make it to our Ferry appointment in time, I jumped back on a subway and headed downtown. 

Top of the Rock

I made it to the ferry for our rendezvous. When I got hold of Nina, she let me know that she'd been caught up with her shopping spree and wouldn't be making it. I headed into the general cattle bay for the ferry and waited to board. By this time my cellphone was in seriously dire battery straits so I switched to airplane mode. Once we'd been herded onto the ferry, I found a seat and we set off! The Staten Island Ferry is free and it provides great views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. I had to jostle many tourists and maneuver myself for the appropriate selfies and typical tourist shots.

Once back on the main island, I met up with Nina at our apartment where we met our host for the first time. Then we walked 14 blocks to dinner at a molecular gastronomy restaurant, wd~50. We both opted for the 13 course dinner, with a few alterations to the courses made to accommodate my gluten-free dining requirement. The food was definitely special and unusual - I just wish the servers would have talked about the techniques used without being prompted. The sea urchin tongues were really splendid, but my favourite was the sea scallops with ravioli. The key lime pie dessert was also fantastic, as was my 13th course - reduced cheesecake in a blueberry parcel.

High Line

On Tuesday morning, we headed out to Chelsea market. We arrived fairly early as this was our final day in NYC and we wanted to make the most of it. Unfortunately, this meant many of the places were not yet open. We grabbed some coffee and made our way to the High Line, a converted railway line that ran above ground and was suggested to us by our host. It's now a trendy and hip walkway with gardens and flowers, trellises and sculptures along the line for a good few blocks. It was pretty cool to walk above the city between the massive buildings. 

Then we set off for MoMA, NYC's Museum of Modern Art. Our host lent us his artsy museum card and we got in for free! We budgeted only an hour for the whole museum, so we went on a whirlwind tour of the six floors, covering an exhibition of Magritte, galleries filled with Van Goghs, Frieda Kahlos, Picassos and many others. The interactive displays in some of the sections were really cool. The artsy fix was a great way to end off our mad adventures in the Big Apple as we left for JFK. Next stop: Minneapolis.

MoMA

365 days of 2013: The month of lurv

Documenting each day of twenty thirteen.

January's post can be found here.

The second month of my photo diary project has come to a close (apologies for the short delay)! In no particular order, here are the days of February:

I have had much more time to reflect on the wisdom of embarking on this particular endeavour, and have experienced "roller-coaster emotions" (excuse the cliché; it is relevant to this month thanks to the trip to Ratanga!) There were a few times I became so fed up that I almost quit, and other times where I enjoyed planning the daily shot. What became quite apparent to me, though, was that this project means something different to everyone. To some, it is a testament to making the most of each day; to others, it is a more realistic portrait of everyday life than can be found in Facebook newsfeeds.

What's the good of living if you don't try a few things? 

Charles M. Schulz

My resolution going into February was to do more of the things I said I would do or wanted to do. I did several new things: visited new places and cooked new dishes. If you go through my posts, they are largely positive and, with the exception of my Red Hot Chilli Pepper concert rage, filled with things that made my day worthwhile. They certainly fit in with the "month of love" theme. 

Do these photographs make others' days worthwhile? Or do they only serve to add value to my own day? Is my quest for daily snapshots a purely selfish one?

But better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie. 

Khaled Hosseini

Yesterday, I dashed in to Garden centre for some early Sunday morning shopping. I was so caught up in my own mission that I almost missed an old lady trying to cross the busy parking lot. I quickly offered my help and my arm, and she told me how it's usually the "handsome young men" who help her to cross. I could have made excuses about being stressed out from being on call (double rotation!) or finding out that my home has been placed on the real estate agent's site (sad face). But I don't want to spend my days justifying why I live life in my comfort zone and miss out on opportunities to live a more meaningful life. This means living less in my head and more in the moment; not acting according to social convention, but rather as my conscience demands.

I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions. 

Lillian Hellman

I am not choosing charity to be the photo theme for March; but I will find ways to add value to the lives of those I encounter.

365 days of 2013 - January in review

Documenting each day of twenty thirteen.

365 days of 2013 - a task I committed myself to without much forethought on the first of January 2013. Something of a photo diary, snapping at least one pic (on my cellphone or snazzy dSLR) to mark each day of the year as it passes. There are several reasons to take on something like this, not least of these is the attempt at making each day count. Life's not about the number of breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away, quote unquote fortune cookie catchphrases.

There are also just as many reasons not to take on a project like this. It's easy to become dissatisfied with being content. FOMO (fear of missing out, lucky you if you didn't know that) is a very real danger in our social networking obsessed generation. Like this, check in here, tag that, share this, comment on all of these...

However, if there's any one quote I'd like to carry through life with me, it's this: 

The unexamined life is not worth living.

- Socrates

And what better way to examine life is there than to keep a photo journal?

So here's a montage of January moments

Number of work-related pics: 8

Number of friends in pics: 8

Number of pics taken in new places: 11

Number of pics involving food: 12

Do the photos I've chosen to represent each day of January 2013 indicate in some way my priorities? Or do the categories I've chosen to group my pics into imply something? Perhaps we find meaning where we look for it. 

At any rate, it's funny what memories are most vivid when I reminisce without a visual stimulus to prompt me. When I think back now on my January, what is foremost in my mind is the many hours of hard work and late nights/early mornings, easily eclipsing many of the fantastic adventures I had. I clearly need to work on my attitude!

Sadly, on some of the days I was really scrambling to find a pic of something that I felt was worthy of making it into the photo diary (notice the coffee machine?), and on others I had several to choose from (that's where the montages come from). 

What I'll be taking into February is this: to do more of the things I think about doing, or say I'd like to do.

Hopefully, with this attitude it will finally become about the living of life and not just the documentation of it in photographic form. After all, it's not about the photos, but what the photos are capturing.

Living in //Hui !Gaeb

For those confused about the post title, read this article about the new Khoisan name for Cape Town. 

 
I have been in Cape Town for almost a month, and what a month it has been. Most of my time and energy has gone into settling into my new job, and the rest has been spent on searching for permanent accommodation. With regards to the first, I love my job, though it has been an intense few weeks and the people I work with are highly intelligent and driven.

Apartment hunting, on the other hand, has been nothing short of a nightmare. Never mind the fact that places never do their advertised photographs justice, for the most part, agents do not seem to care one nanometer about potential tenants since there is such a high demand for places to rent. In my recent experience, given the following, choose none.

 

 

However, tenacity and perseverance have paid off, and if all things go as planned (which they never seem to do, so touch wood), I will be moving into the new apartment this weekend. And not a moment too soon, either. Anyone living out of suitcases and showering with cold, damp towels should not expect to be in a pleasant mood, no matter how beautiful the city they live in. There also has not been much time left over for exploring, so I cannot wait to get settled so that I can better acquaint myself with the Mother City.

To distract myself from the inevitable disgruntledness resulting from wet towels, wrinkled clothes and cabin fever, I made a checklist of sorts of peculiar things I have spotted in Cape Town thus far. These include:

• A real-life Zooey Deschanel hipster lookalike shopping in Woolworths food
• A man pushing his transportable market stall on a trolley down a main road, being followed by a police car blaring "GET OUT OF THE ROAD!" through a loudspeaker
• One chilly Thursday morning, we had a great view from our kitchen windows at work of some guys relaxing in their rooftop jacuzzi
• A whole family arrived for dinner at an Indian restaurant, all packed into a bus
• An Asian mother teaching her toddler daughter how to walk backwards
• In a restaurant, a little girl came and deposited fresh seaweed on the table  

 

And a few for which I have photographic evidence, in case I hear "pics or it didn't happen".

• An almost indecipherable message left on my car window from an inconvenienced passive-aggressive neighbour:

• A rainbow which lasted for nearly an hour:

 

• A Bos vending machine giving out free Bos drinks for tweets:

 

• A house in the street my aunt lives in caught fire, billowing clouds of smoke, spotted from work:

As the weather continues to behave like a heartbroken teenager, my to-do list is being filled with items that involve indoor activities. Mostly this includes visiting museums, doing lots of baking, becoming a patron of local restaurants and eating banana bread baked by a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Once the new apartment has been furnished, I will get right on that.

Becoming Capetonian

I arrived in Cape Town a week ago, and it's been a pretty crazy awesome time so far. I was in Cape Town on holiday in February and my expectation was framed mostly by my memories of holidaying, which is unfortunate, as there seem to be certain quirks and idiosyncrasies of the Mother City that became apparent to me only once I moved here.

It is not difficult to see why Cape Town made it onto CNN's top 10 most loved cities in the world [link]. My eyes feast daily on stunning views of the mountains and the Cape archipelago. My taste buds delight in the variety of restaurants serving various cuisines. I have been warned that Capetonians are notoriously clique-y, but I've found everyone to be very friendly. There are a few things about this city that I'm still getting used to, though.


Driving in Cape Town is horrific. This might seem like an exaggeration after driving in Gauteng, but it is atrocious in a wholly different way. Not only does it appear as if a drunkard was employed as town planner, but completely different road rules apply. It also doesn't help that the streets tend to be narrow and congested with parallel parked cars which block visibility when attempting to turn or cross a road. Generally, this means Capetonians on the road drive by blind faith and you'll find cars coming at you from all directions. Pedestrians will run across intersections despite the flow of traffic not being in their favour. There are also numerous accidents, usually resulting from attempting to park in tight situations. There would probably be many more if people did not insist on driving at a snail's pace.


Finding parking in Cape Town is a divine gift. There are parking arcades hidden in secret locations known only to a few, with expensive rates and obnoxious ticket booth attendants. Often only street parking is available (even at certain residential addresses) so a refresher course in parallel parking is recommended. It's also best to have a map book when driving because the GPS can often fail you here.


Capetonians are oddly clued up on weather forecasts. Ask anyone and they will be able to tell you when the rain will be taking over and for how long. They also refer to tv forecasters on the news channels as if they are old friends. Knowing the moods of the weather is also fortunate, as everyone assures me the metro police will not be found setting up roadblocks and writing parking tickets when it's wet.


Punctuality seems to be a foreign concept to Capetonians. They are too busy relaxing and enjoying life to notice the time. I arrived an hour and a half too early on my first day of work, despite being on time in terms of my contract. Do not expect anyone to be in the office before 9 am. 


Shopping centres in Cape Town have generally been replaced by "lifestyle centres", characterised by the presence of a Woolworths Food, and are perilously difficult to locate, even with the help of Google. Little unobtrusive cafés selling delicious gourmet sandwiches nestle between car repair shops on quiet streets and would remain largely undiscovered if it were not for the locals leading the way.


Cape Town is a place where cultures converge. All colours and creeds are represented, and there doesn't seem to be any group in the minority here. "Expect the unexpected" doesn't apply, because that which determines what is to be expected appears fluid in a place where societal rules seem to be as elemental as the weather. Instead, "expect nothing" is rather fitting; leave your assumptions behind, and you'll love this vibrant city.

A waygook's guide to visiting South Korea for the first time

Two months ago I went to South Korea to visit my chingu (friend) Claire who was finishing off her teaching contract. She stayed in the southern provincial capital, Jeonju, about 3.5 hours from Seoul by bus. I was fortunate enough to visit at the start of the cherry blossom season, though sadly I missed seeing the cherry trees in full bloom.

A waygook is a foreigner in Korean, and that meant that anywhere that is not the capital Seoul, I was met with open stares. Though I was only in Korea for eleven days, I saw and experienced so much, and I loved every second of it. Korea is such an interesting and unusual country and is filled with amazing places and people.


Outside Seoul, you may struggle to find people who can understand and speak English, so it helps to have a few phrases handy. I like visiting people in foreign countries so that they can show me around and I have somewhere safe to stay. It really helps when you want to head off in the opposite direction to an overpriced tourist experience.


A few musts that you should add to your "to do" list should you be visiting Korea at any time, include:

• Try some local cuisine - Koreans have very basic culinary flavours, namely spicy, pickled, plain and sweet. They also enjoy putting seaweed into several of their dishes (even in soup!). Kimchi, which is spicy fermented cabbage, is almost always served as a side dish and eating too much of it can have some interesting digestive repercussions. Serving suggestions: Mandu (very tasty dumplings), bibimbap (quite spicy, signature Korean dish) and bulgolgi (marinaded, barbecue beef).
• Do a temple stay - there are lots of temples, usually in more remote parts of the country where you will be surrounded by beautiful scenery. This also means it can be a bit chilly, especially while wearing your temple stay clothes. I went for a temple stay at Mihwangsa, in the southern province of Haenam, at a place called Land's End. Temples are very peaceful and you can experience simple, traditional Korean food. Note: be careful what you put onto your plate because you must finish it all!
• Visit a jimjilbong - these public baths, often called spas, can be found in almost every city or larger town. A flat rate will get you a change of pyjamas and access to saunas, a sleeping area, the public baths, and various other areas. You can stay as long as you like, and can be a good place to spend the night. Note: the women and men have separate bathing areas and everyone is naked in these areas.
• Jump on a bus and visit local attractions - the city and inter-city buses are very reliable and an affordable way to travel around.  Koreans are extremely punctual and buses depart precisely when they are scheduled to depart. Note: The inter-city buses also have TVs so you will be treated to the confusion that is Korean television.
• Visit a tea house - there are so many different kinds of tea to be had in Korea; jasmine, green tea, citrus tea, nutty tea, to name but a few. These teas are also available for purchase in convenience stores.
• Go to a club or noori bong - Noori bong is Korean karaoke. Unfortunately, on the night we wanted to go, I'd contracted bronchitis and had lost my voice, but my friend assured me it's great fun. Clubbing is a super night time activity, where you will be exposed to KPop (Korean Pop music). Note: it's scandalous to show shoulders and cleavage, and there are scheduled breaks where everyone stops dancing and sits down.
• Buy changwon socks - these "thousand won" socks make great gifts and can be found in many places. They feature adorable cartoons and crazy characters. Since Koreans take their shoes off in most indoor areas (including some restaurants and schools), it helps to have some cool socks to show off!
• Find a local mountain and go for a walk - Koreans are concerned about health and well-being so you'll find many friendly Koreans along your hike.

Some interesting things to note about Korea:

• There's CCTV almost everywhere - including on buses and in taxis!
• Koreans work extremely hard and children spend most of their time in school or after school hagwons (academies). They are also very serious about keeping up appearances.
• It's polite to give and receive with both hands, or one hand touching your arm.
• Be on the lookout for the amazing bridges that can be found on the outskirts of cities, best viewed in the early evening or at night when they are lit.
• It's unusual for Koreans to do anything alone, and some restaurants will not serve a table of one.
• Koreans can't live without their cellphones, and these often have antennae specifically so that they can watch TV wherever they go.
• The western spelling of places and things in Korea may vary.
• Koreans are conservative but are crazy about outward displays of love. Be sure to watch out for couples dressed in matching outfits!
• Dog is actually a culinary delicacy.
• Koreans don't much like foreign cuisine, and outside Seoul you won't find many places selling anything but Korean food. Usually there will be a Lotteria (Korean version of McDonald's) or KFC in the cities if you need something that reminds you of home.
• The written Korean language, Hangul, is reputed to be the most logical language writing system, and is apparently easy to learn. Read more about it here. 

There were still so many things I wanted to do and see while I was in Korea. Often I think it is best to leave a place with items on the bucket list left unchecked, rather than departing with a wish never to return. And there are still so many things I would have liked to see, including Jeju island, the DMZ and Busan's beaches.

Mihwangsa Temple

So, until next time, Korea! Kamsahamnida (Thank you)

So life makes hypocrites of us all

It's been a crazy few weeks. Heck, it's been a crazy few months. In the first five months of this year I've gone to two life-altering workshops, two holidays (one to South Korea!), been through several interviews and quit my job. So it should really be no surprise that any thoughts of blogging were cursory and far-between. I have just over a week left before I pack up my life and head off to the other side of the country to start a new job.


I was on holiday in Cape Town only three months ago with my boyfriend. Before then, I'd been to Cape Town for "Maths camp", as I fondly call it, in the middle of winter and I hated the weather. In fact, I was determined never to live there. While on holiday in February, with perfect summer weather, stunning scenery, delicious food, a wide variety of activities and excitement, I admitted to myself that it might not be so bad to live there after all... one day. It turns out "one day" is a lot closer than I originally thought, going from "never" to "next week". So life makes hypocrites of us all.


But I should rewind my story a little, how did I end up making such a move? I found myself wandering listlessly down the path of life, when suddenly, quite unexpectedly, I was thrust into a situation where I had to make a drastic decision. I was presented with a job opportunity, and had another in the pipeline. In the past I'd seen job opportunities and let them go by, content in carrying on subsisting on my routine in the comfort zone. Abruptly, the path I'd been walking ended in a T-junction. One of the paths branching off required only a minimal amount of change, and was the safer option - taking a job in the city where I already lived. The other path was very risky but also had potential for great reward - moving to the other side of the country to a city I'd only rarely visited to work for a fantastic company. I'd always seen myself as a "safe" player, ever cautious, rational and definitely a person who over-analyses instead of under-analysing any situation. So it was rather a shock to my system when I made the choice to move to Cape Town, leaving my whole life behind. I had only a few hours to make the choice, without knowing whether my boyfriend would be able to move with me, though he promised he'd support any decision I made.


With a little bit of prayer, late night interview coaching and mass dispersion of my boyfriend's curriculum vitae, he managed to find a job at a great company for more pay in less than a week. And this in a city that everyone assured us is great for holiday, but difficult to find work in and pays less than the South African GDP hub of Gauteng. It just goes to show how people remain stuck in their respective ruts while listening to the general opinion.


All that separates retrospect and regret is a decision. It's easy now to look back on life and realise I'd let so many opportunities go by without even giving them a second thought. It takes a great change in the way my mind processed things to allow myself to consider these opportunities. I'd not been looking for them, and I might easily have missed them.


It's funny how quickly things can change, and even funnier how the word "never" applied to something only seems to fast track that very thing into occurring.