Arrival

After an overnight flight from the UK finally arrived in Cape Town for a week of sightseeing before going off to the project.

I was met at the airport by Ursula - the Aviva rep and along with three other travellers we went to our hostel in Observatory just a few miles outside CapeTown with the imposing Devils Peak mountain to our south. Observatory lies between Cape Town University and Groote Schoor Hospital where they carries out the first heart transplant.

The efficiency of Aviva is impressive. We were all given a welcome pack which consists of a bottle of wine, crisps, dried ostrich meat and some sweets to consume. In addition we were given a local sim card and pre-paid vouchers for mobile and land lines.

The hostel is a single story building nestling behind the local MacDonalds. It is a single storey building surrounded by electric fence and a weird entry system. There are three dormatories - two for the women (I think it because they have to carry make up bags) and one for the blokes. Each room sleeps 4 so in total can cater for 12 volunteers.

Today I think we are full with volunteers from USA, Canada and the UK. Some of the volunteers are working on projects in Cape Town while others are just in transit.

After introductions we expereienced our first ride in the local mini-buses. These are small Toyoto vans which ply up and down the main roads and stop on demand to pick up and put down their passengers. The guide books says "It is a cheap form of transport where you get to mingle with the locals" We travelled to Camps Bay to get something to eat and some sunbathing. The cost to get there was R9 which is about 70p. Getting back was a little more difficult as we had to do some haggling and by the time we were halk a mile down the road realised that it was going to be a R25 each. But compared with UK prices!