Grahamstown has basically 2 main streets: High Street and New Street. I live between the 2 streets on a small side street. The LRC is on High Street. On Saturday, I wandered aimlessly up and down the two streets, checking out the shops. It was the first hot day of spring. I found the Grahamstown Hospice thrift shop (I love thrift shops!) and bought a few books and trinkets, including a random little ceramic bowl with holes in it for R15 ($2). I signed up for the hiking club at Makana Tourism office. I was going to check out the Observatory museum but they apparently decided either not to open or to close early (which seems to be a common occurrence in Grahamstown).
I quickly discovered that everything closes at 1pm. Passing the Curves gym on New Street (yes, we have a Curves gym!), I was about to wander home when Emily called. She said, “I’m facing Curves; I have blond hair and am wearing a black shirt and shorts.” I said, “I’ll walk towards you, I’m the only Chinese girl in town.”
What followed was a very educational day on Grahamstown. Emily is studying journalism at Rhodes University and has been here since February. She is fabulous and friendly and gave me a grand grand tour of this town. We walked around and she told me where to go and not to go, how to act, where to buy what. She showed me the Botanical Gardens then took me up a dirt road to the Dam, where you can have a swim in the warmer months. We hiked to the top of a hill, where I saw a fabulous view of Grahamstown and its township on one side, and the rolling South African wilderness on the other side. We met her friend James, who bartends at the Old Gaol (pronounced “Jail”) Backpackers and studies anthropology at Rhodes. I saw the Old Gaol, a former jail that has been converted into a backpackers’ inn where the guests sleep in cells. There is a popular bar in the front that has an atmospheric hippie feel. Emily and I went for dinner in the lovely courtyard of Maxwell’s B&B, then returned to the Old Gaol to close it down.
2 comments:
Wow, I can't believe there is a curves gym there! I've been avoiding that place like the plague since I found out they have a lot of links with a certain pro-life organization...I'm surprised they've gone global.
Your work there sounds amazing. All I'm learning about these days is the production of documents and fixtures.
Have you got any trips planned yet?
Yes, I was also very surprised to see a Curves gym. I hear the clientele is very different here than in Vancouver.
No trips organized yet, but I do plan on doing a few things in the near future - Addo Elephant Park, skydiving, the beach when there's a hot day, and likely some hiking with the hiking club soon... :) I hear you're headed to the Transylvanian place -- Miss you guys!!!
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