I'm off to Santiago...

my bittersweet week in Cape Town...

For the month leading up to my trip to Cape Town, I was an angel. I stayed in, worked, ate healthy, exercised 2-3 times per week, and generally rested as much as possible. I even abstained from going out to some incredible parties on New Year's Eve, lest I wind up sick for my trip down to one of my favorite places on Earth.

So it goes, I went to sleep the night before I left feeling great, and ready for the long trip to the tip of Africa. You know where I'm gong with this, don't you? Sure enough, I awoke in my bed the next morning with that all-too-familiar tinge behind the bridge of my nose that signals in impending sinus infection. Out of the fucking blue... ("Flying spaghetti monster, why hast thou forsaken me?!")

So I slammed some Airborne and vitamins, grabbed my suitcase, and headed out. 1.5 hour flight to London. Check. 2-hour layover with a quick meal in Terminal 5 @ Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food. Check. 12-hour flight from London to Cape Town on a plane packed full of British vacationers. Check. I should also mention that I checked in online to ensure myself a bulkhead isle seat on the long flight, only to be asked by a middle-aged Indian man and his wife (?) w/ newborn child if I wouldn't mind trading seats with him so he could sit next to his ugly little baby. Of course you can have my fucking amazing seat, and I'll go sit in your middle seat next to the stinkiest little 15-year old girl on the fucking planet. Get some deodorant you little piggy!

Do I sound bitter?

Over the course of the flight, my nasty little bug worked it's way down my throat and into my chest. Between that and B.O. Betty, I thought I was going to die.

When I arrived in Cape Town I had a scratchy throat, a mild fever, and a developing cough. So needless to say, I wasn't as adventurous during my 8 days there as I had hoped to be. I'm happy to report, though, that I did manage to spend a few lovely days on the beach, go to Robben Island, spend a day touring the wine country, and generally relax in the world class city that I see myself returning to often..

I have to say that the guys who bring me there are some of the nicest in the world. They really make me feel like I'm at home, and I forsee long and rewarding friendships coming out of my adventures there. Not to mention, they've built a really incredible small music scene, on par with some of the best 500-person parties in the world. Sometimes living in Berlin you forget that there are still small music scenes out there that are actually HUNGRY for new music. Not everyone is old and jaded...

There are many many more small details about the trip that I would like to share with everyone, but this post is not the place for that. I'll be back in St. Louis on March 16, and perhaps over a glass of wine or two, some of the more memorable bits will come out. In the mean time, here are just a few pictures that sum up my trip. (The Chapmen's Peak Route was closed due to falling rocks, so those of you who saw the pictures from my last trip will notice that there are none of the beautiful cliffside shots of that area. Shame....)




Clifton Beach



View of Table Mountain from my hotel room



Driving between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. Two of the finest wine producing regions in South Africa.



Views from Jon's balcony. He's the owner of Fiction (the club I played in) and a very good new friend. This is in the beautiful Sea Point area of Cape Town, and the second picture is a view of the famous "Lion's Head" mountain.



Nelson Mandela's cell. Robben Island.


View back across Table Bay from Robben Island. You're looking at Cape Town against the backdrop of Table Mountain.



Coming back into Table Bay on the ferry from Robben Island.

here comes the sun...

I had this song in my head all day today.

Flying to Cape Town tomorrow, after a brutal month in the dark (literally and figuratively) here in Berlin.

Stay tuned for a couple of reports from the bottom of the world.

-Andrew

cure your winter boredom

I'm totally addicted. Check it:

http://www.blognigger.com

the greatest love song ever?

Suzanne takes you down
to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that shes half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from china
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover

And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.

And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said all men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone

And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From salvation army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbor
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror

And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For shes touched your perfect body with her mind.

Oh God.

my kind of party...

I started a blog. blog... .... blog..... blog.

Inspired by Sarah, Christy, JNX, and now Tom, I've decided to start a blog. I was vehemently against this no less than one month ago, but peer pressure is a bitch. I guess it took me reading a few blogs from my amazing friends to realize that I also lead a pretty unique life, so maybe I should share some of the more interesting moments.

I only have a few introductory words: I will post as often as possible (which might not be that often). I will post about a variety of things: Food, Travel, Wine, What I'm Reading, etc etc etc. And I promise to only post when I'm stoned. That's it.

Hopefully my case worker from the halfway house stumbles across this and sees that all their hard work paid off.