Having just returned from Cape Town to Molepolole is a lot easier than we anticipated, even though Cape Town was one of the most brilliant places we have ever traveled to.
We started our travels by spending the night in Gabs. We stayed with Sana and her husband, the daughter of our original host mother. They welcomed us as if we were truly family. They gave us a local’s tour to our capital and made sure we made it safely to our bus at 6.00 in the morning.
Boarding the bus to Johannesburg was so exciting. We were so eager to leave Botswana and the desert and finally get back to city living, which we miss so dearly. The bus drove on a small highway the entire way. The landscape of northern South Africa was very similar to that of Botswana- dry, bush and desert. And then all the sudden the landscape changed- it suddenly became what we had not even realized we missed. Huge trees, fields of grass and farms as far you could see. I mean really just even seeing the rolling green hills filled with produce and flowers were enough to enjoy the 5-hour ride.
Joburg or Jozzie, as the locals refer to it, was interesting. The first thing you hear from people around the bus station is to get directly in a taxi because the city center is almost a lawless area. We did as we were told, since we prefer to play it safe and headed straight to a trendy neighborhood called, Melville. Talk about culture shock. Surrounded by cafes, boutiques and white people we literally were walking around speechless for the first ten minutes. Then we spotted the only black people in the area and went directly to them to ask where we were and what we should do. They laughed at our culture shock, we exchanged a few Setswana words and then we begin to feel ready to take on the new atmosphere.
We found a decent café, laid down our bags and begin drinking to celebrate being on vacation and in an anonymous state of being. Matt kept drinking while Annie Rose and I scoped out the scene to shop and find a good place for dinner. By the time we got back Matt had already made friends, of course and we sat down to enjoy the new company and learn more about South Africa. These guys were super nice. They were all journalist so there stories about pre and post Apartheid, were raw and fascinating. They told us about which neighborhoods not to go to, what the change was like, how they see the future of South Africa, and what they find to be irritating since the New South Africa is now more dependent on the international world. It was a great way to spend the afternoon into the evening. On our way out one of the guys gave us his number and told us to call when we were back in town. He offered us his flat and tried to give us R150. We said we do not want your money but we will definitely call when we are back in town. He insisted on giving us the money, because he said we are visitors in his countries and he wanted to take us to our hotel but now he was to drunk. Great start to the trip.
We headed out to the hotel and found out we booked at the wrong place and the wrong night. Oh the joys of travel. We finally managed to get to the hotel and found a guy that was willing to drive us after listening to our sob story. He not only drove us he was willing to stop at the golden arches when he heard us yelling in the back when we spotted them. Oh my god- McDonald’s French fries – the sweet smell and taste. You can take the American out of America but you can’t take the fast food junkie America out of Americans.
Arriving in Cape Town truly reminded us a lot of our year living in Hawaii except instead of small town Lahaina throw a city similar to San Francisco in the middle of a mountain range with a crystal clear blue ocean. Wow, it was truly one of the most beautiful cities we have ever seen.
I would have to say the first day we were little disappointed because we toured the touristy areas. Long Street and the Waterfront. Something you always do and truly have to do but that was not what we were looking for. They were nice and you could see the appeal but we were looking for the up and coming parts of town, where the locals hang out. That night though we got to eat at a proper restaurant, something we had not done in six months and we enjoyed every minute of it. Fresh seafood from the coastline you could see seemed so decadent. God, we did not realize how much we missed fish. We walked in and out of cafes and delis. Delis that had Italian meats hanging, fresh bread and all the things we missed about of NYC delis. We knew from this night on that this trip was going to be about enjoying the food, neighborhoods and views.
We went on the double decker tour bus like any good tourist would do. It was nice to get a grasp of the geography and it was the best way to get around since the neighborhood and sites are spread out and taxis are quite expensive. The tour and it’s commentary was very euro centric which was very disappointing but still the views of the mountains, sea and flora was enough to make it worthwhile. More about the Euro centric view later!
Protea, which are my favorite flowers, discovered during our year in Hawaii, grew wild in Cape Town. Everywhere you looked you saw wild protea bushes in full bloom, it was a dream come true. The botanical gardens were amazing. They were situated on the backside of the mountain. The weather and trees were completely different on this side of the city. I swear every section of Cape Town has it’s own weather pattern.
One day we did a wine tour. It was great to have a 10.00 A.M. buzz and walk around these cute little wine towns laughing and seeking out the next bottle of wine. Mauro you would be proud we are learned a little more about wine and we starting to get it. Three mornings Matt got up at 4.00 A.M. to go fishing. However, every day he had to turn back as the seas we too rough, a condition that happens often when two oceans meet and winds whip wildly around the Cape.
We went up to the top of Table Mountain, the lazy way, cable car, as we had so much to see and time would not permit a five-hour hike. The last days Matt, Annie Rose, Nora (great addition, a Berliner we met in Cape Town and traveled with for the last two days- actually sent a bush note with her to my friend Jason in Berlin, hopefully he gets it) and I traveled by car to the Cape Point. The most southern point in Africa. We got to see penguins in their natural habitat, this was a first for us, pretty cool. It was beautiful. Two oceans meeting, fields of protea, ostrich and a coastline that is unmatched, proved to be a great few days. We stayed in tiny little beach surfing towns and watched the fisherman go out to sea and wasted the days eating delicious seafood and enjoying being on the ocean. Neither good nor bad, for these 7 days we did not even feel like we were in Africa.
We did not get to the District 6 Museum, which was a huge disappointment. When we arrived they had just closed. From my understanding District 6 was a part of town that all races and ethnicity of people lived and settled in before apartheid. When the government enforced apartheid District 6 become illegal, since it was illegal to live or be around people of other races. They demolished the area. So truly in the middle of this large city, there are just fields of grass were this neighborhood once stood. The whites obviously got relocated and the coloreds and blacks were left to fend for them selves. That ultimately meant being resettled to what they called townships.
So the whole time you are in this beautiful city and surrounded by mostly white affluent people, 2 kilometers outside the city there are townships and shanties as far as the eye can see. The townships are how you picture them. Tin houses with no amenities and poverty that is shocking. Life does not seem to have gotten that much better for the blacks and the colored.
Striking up conversations with the whites of South Africa, you must listen very carefully. The way things are worded or phrased shows how very little has changed. They are still part of an older generation that was brain washed to think that people of different races are different and that things have only gotten worse post- apartheid. At one point we actually asked a cab drive what the population of South Africa was and he could not just say the number as a whole. He broke it down by race. He said, “40 million blacks, 7 million whites, and 1 million colored. Oh things were better before.” Matt, Annie Rose and I were shocked in the back of the car and all we could talk about all night was this comment. How in the world did this white minority rule for so long?
The commentary on the tour bus was also very hard to stomach and very shallow. The announcer on the bus was talking about how Africans love soaking up the sun. As this was being said on the beach all you could see were white Africans on the beach and all the Native Africans hiding in the shade of the trees. Driving through the town there was a statue of some Portuguese sailor who first saw Cape Town. The announcer commented on how different life would have been for the Dutch and English (Afrikaners and Boers) if the Portuguese actually landed there first. No mention of the dramatic changes that took place for the 40 million blacks of South Africa when the British and Dutch landed.
With all of this said, our wine tour guide was a colored (South African term for someone of mixed race) and was truly inspiring and brought to life all of the positives that are happening. He could not talk enough about Nelson Mandela and how he managed to save this country from pure chaos. Madiba (as Nelson Mandela is referred) was able to forgive, so too are we, so said the tour guide. He just kept talking about how he has hope for his country and with enough time and after many generations of kids being born knowing that all are equal, South Africa will become a free more just state. He clearly said, that the future is bright; the youth will help correct our mistakes. He had such hope and meeting him, Basil, was a highlight of our trip.
We did not get to see District 6, Robbins Island, explore enough of the wine country or hike as much as we like. This trip was truly an escape from rural life and a way to be back in the city wondering around aimlessly. So, if anyone is interested in seeing on of the most beautiful cities on the planet, we have much more to see and explore and we would love to join you. Annie Rose is also part of this package deal as she is a great travel companion.
Any good trip or travel experience hopefully causes travelers to reflect upon their own culture and look critically at ourselves in response to the other culture. Matt, Annie Rose and I both walked away from this trip knowing deep in our hearts that we as Americans, with a history of slaughtering the Native Americans, slavery, lack of civil rights for minorities, the suffrage movement and still no equal rights for gays, have very little room to pass judgment. As long as nations are moving forward and civil societies demand change there is still hope. God, we love traveling and learning.
Pictures are posted on Picassa…
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