GELIA
So Gelia and I kept going, and all of a sudden, there were ladders and chain ropes and required rock climbing. Gelia scampered up and offered me her hand, and I took it, all the time wishing I didn't have to use one hand to hold my white skirt in a way so that I wasn't flashing my undies to the entire Cape Town population. After all, climbing up mountains is probably easier (and safer) with both hands.
Post-script: Jean and Ami went back the next morning and successfully made it to the top as well. And came home with far better pictures than I managed. Hey Leonardo, you might want to reconsider your claim as 'the king of the world.'
So after the beach, let's go to Lion's Head and we can have a nice dinner with wine!
ME
Oooh, sounds good! Let's do it.
JEAN
Ummmmm. Wait....
AMI
Yeah! Let's go!
I thought it was a pub. Seriously. I swear there's a bar in Chicago called Lion's Head or something, and that's automatically what my mind went to. Because when you think nice dinner with wine, you think of a bar or a restaurant or a lounge where you can hang out with your newfound international friends. So I agreed readily. And I was dressed for a pub. Cute top, white skirt, black sandals.
So then we started driving, and we ended up at the entrance to a trail leading up a giant rocky mountain. Were we lost? Jean looked at us, "it's a hike, guys. Ahhhh!! I thought you knew!!!" Ami and I had made the same mistake. We thought Lion's Head was just the name of a restaurant district or something along those lines. But no, Lion's Head is one of the mountains in Cape Town, and now, we weren't going to get dinner unless we hiked up to the summit.
How bad could it be, really? We're med students! We're trained to say yes automatically to all challenges. The first day Dr. Meanie Bikini told me to close a wound, I didn't even flinch. I just said okay, and started slowly and painfully mucking my way through it as she shouted insults about my terrible technique at me. But I digress - this is not a post about my terrible surgical rotation.
So we agreed to this hike. And we buddied up. Ava and Tanya - the two German athletes took the lead. Then me and Gelia. Then Ami and Jean. And before we knew it, Ava and Tanya were out of sight. And with them, our picnic dinner and wine. Gelia and I made our way up the mountain, turning to look back at Ami and Jean - both of whom were wearing flip flops. They stopped to rest, and Gelia and I continued upwards.
Ten minutes later, I got a phone call from Jean. She and Ami weren't wearing the right shoes, so they'd be going at a slower pace. But we'd meet at the top!
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| Photo straight from camera - amazing, right? |
Right about then, Jean gave me another call. She and Ami were turning around. I would have loved to go home too. After all, skirts and sandals are not appropriate for scaling tall mountains. But if I turned around, that would have left Gelia by herself with no one to spot her. Not that I was necessarily a good partner, but hey, at least I've got a sparkling personality, right? Sure, I might fall off the mountain, but at least I don't desert friends.
So upwards and onwards. And I still have no idea how we did it, but we did. We reached the top. And the views were absolutely breathtaking.
I swear I suffered from rhabdo for the next three days. But it was worth it, to be able to tell people that I scaled Lion's Head in a skirt and sandals. I am woman, hear me roar.
Post-script: Jean and Ami went back the next morning and successfully made it to the top as well. And came home with far better pictures than I managed. Hey Leonardo, you might want to reconsider your claim as 'the king of the world.'
