Okay okay, I’m sorry about my lack of posting. I’ve gotten several comments on my MIA status, as well as musings as to whether or not it’s coincidence that my sudden slacking directly correlates to the date of The Major’s arrival here in South Africa…hmm…

I will write more about the past week, but for now I’ll relay the events of our dream vacation in Cape Town and Stellenbosch via a little photo montage…enjoy!

King and Queen of the World! (On top of Table Mountain)

Boating out to Seal Island (this one's for you Marie...;-)

Breakfast with a view (this is from our guest house, overlooking Hout Bay, incredible place!)

The Major tempting fate at the Cape of Good Hope...

Who said Cape Point would be crowded in December?? This was "our" beach and ours alone!

"Our" beach - quite a climb down (and up). The Major saved my life for the first time that day here at this beach...story to be told in person...

One of the many fauna we encountered...this image represents the second time that day that The Major saved my life...story to be told in person.

African penguin! They mate for life!

Revisiting the scene of the crime - this is the EXACT spot where my wallet was stolen more than 2.5 years ago!

Now onto Stellenbosch and wine country aka God's country...

The Major in Wine Country (it felt like we were inside a postcard!)

Hmm...could I somehow fit this into my suitcase???

My favorite wine...Pinotage...a South African original

The art of wine tasting...suck through the tongue to pull out the tastes of oak and cigar box...;-)

BBC article about hot spots

Sailing and the dangers of the deep blue sea

Starting with the adventure of five MALE sailors who were detained by the Iran Navy while taking a yacht from Bahrain to Dubai this article then reviews the areas of the world that leisure sailors should avoid. Now why on earth anyone would go anywhere near Somalia a place synonymous with  lawlessness and pirates is beyond comprehension. Somalia isn’t safe for Somali women let alone anyone sailing within easy reach of the go fast pirate boats.Yet Yachties have gotten close enough to these macho Somali gun boats to be captured.  One reason to get close enough to outlaw Somalia is because one must go through the Gulf of Aden to get to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean and Europe.

The other way around the world is south south south — to the Cape of Good Hope (tip of South Africa). I know an all women crew who only once sailed through the Suez Canal their second time around the world they took the Cape of Good Hope route. They concluded that although the Suez Canal might be quicker there were in fact fewer hazards in the southern route.

Columbia is another place to avoid. It’s hard to tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys in Columbia. I read an e-mail describing cruisers first hand account of their escape from Columbia and the pirates certainly could have been the “officials” who signed these yachties into the country. The “officials” returned to look for “drugs” — drilling holes into the boat. And then after dark a group of thugs returned with the leader knowing the names of the boat owners and sounding exactly like the “official” who visited their boat earlier. This couple escaped (along with their dog) by jumping overboard and swimming to safety. When they returned to their boat their provisions and equipment had been stolen. They hauled up anchor and left, using dead reckoning to find their way to a safe country. Columbia is also mentioned in the article as an unsafe country for sailing yachts.

The cruising community is very small and there are ham radio networks throughout the world. Safe sailing is a matter of keeping in contact with other sailors and getting current information before venturing into unknown waters.

The map below is from the BBC article. (Click to enlarge or click the link to the BBC article at the top.)

BBC Map of world danger spots

(History of Muslims in South Africa)

1700 – Number and origin of slaves at the Cape

The Dutch East India Company brought slaves, political exiles and convicts from Indonesia and India, including Bengal and the Malabar coast. These Easterners, who had a long tradition of Islam behind them, were responsible for the introduction, establishment and spread of Islam at the Cape of Good Hope.

Dr A J Boeseken in a list extracted from transactions pertaining to slaves compiled from documents in the Deeds Office at the Cape for the period 1658 to 1700 shows the following:

1713 – Outbreak of smallpox epidemic

In 1713 a smallpox epidemic broke out at the Cape of Good Hope and killed 200 of the 570 convicts. The rest of the convicts were subsequently given freedom. Muslims who died of smallpox were denied Islamic burial rights with the accompanying ritual ablutions. The regulations also ensured that Muslim smallpox victims were to be buried in coffins.

1743 – Emergence of De Vryezwarten and their role in spread of Islam

More convicts were brought to the Cape in 1743 to serve as a cheap labour in the construction of a new break-water for the Company. Some of theseconvicts returned to Indonesia but the majority remained in the Colony on completion of their sentences, and formed the nucleus of what became known as De Vyezwarten or the Free Black Community. This Free Black Community soon became a threat to the economic security of the poor White colonists.

The Vryezwarten were controlled by civic restrictions such as landownership rights, and had to render services to the municipality gratutiously. Despite these controls, they became skilful artisans and craftsmen, and fairly prosperous at that.

De Vryezwarten’s role in establishing Islam at the Cape was observed by George Foster in 1770 in his book, A Voyage Round the World, [London, 1977]: he observed that a few slaves were meeting weekly in the house of a “ free Mohammodan in order to read, or rather chant, several prayers and chapters of the Qur’adn”.

The period between 1770 and 1800 proved extremely fertile for the spread of Islam in the Cape Colony. There were at this time, in the Colony, many freed convicts and ex-slaves who were well-schooled in Islam, and were only too eager to convert other slaves to Islam. They were assisted by the prevailing attitude of White settlers who argued that a Muslim slave, being of sober habits, made a better domestic servant.

The total registered population at the Cape in 1775 was 12 000; approximately one-half of this population constituted slaves. This became a matter for concern for the Dutch authorities who then legislated to control the slave numbers at the Cape. Among the placaaten [statutes] which were issued was one which prohibited the sale of baptised Christian slaves. The colonists, who feared the loss of their slaves, should they become Christians, indirectly encouraged the spread of Islam among the convicts and slaves; so, by 1800 the benches in the Groote Kerk [Church] of Cape Town which were traditionally reserved for use by slaves, had become virtually empty.

1744 – Arrival of Tuan Sa‘id [Sayyid] and Hadjie ? [Hajil Matarim

Sa‘id Alowie [Sayyid ‘Alawi], popularly known asTuan [meaning: sir/master] Sa‘id, of Mocca in Yemen, Arabia, arrived at the Cape in 1744 withHadjie Matarim. “Mohammedaan.sche Priesters”["Mohammedan priests" - Muslim 'ulama'] banished to the Cape by the Dutch were to be kept in chains for the rest of their lives. They were incarcerated on Robben Island. Hadjie Matarim died in 1755 and lies buried in a tomb on the island. The karamat [tomb] stands at the far corner of Robben Island. It is a simple square building built from local `leiklip’ [clay-stones] with a green dome and four miniature domes at the corners. Tuan Sa‘id served a prison sentence of eleven years. On his release from Robben Island he settled at the Cape. Tuan Sa‘id is known for his active da’wah [missionary] work amongst the slaves in the Slave Lodge. Oral traditions attribute tremendous mystical powers to him: he is said to have entered the locked and guarded Slave Lodge with the Qu’ran under his right arm, without being seen by the guards. History records that Tuan Sa‘id became a policeman at the Cape and so had access to the Slave Lodge. He is generally regarded as the first official imam of the Cape Muslims. He was buried at the Tana Baru cemetery in Cape Town.

1750 – Estimated Muslim and Muslim slave populations at the Cape

The estimated Muslim and Muslim slave populations at the Cape between 1750 and 1830 was:

Being a Slave

The economy of the Cape Colony depended to a large extent on slave labour. The position of the Dutch Reform Church on slavery was deliberately kept vague to prevent alienating influential slave owners. Therefore, having a cheap and subservient labour force fitted into the plans of the VOC. The Cape burghers did not take responsibility for the existence of slavery. For them, the VOC took the decision to introduce slavery.

However, slaves were given new names at the Cape. Some slaves received a new name every time they were resold. Some names described the slave’s personality or appearance and many of these names were demeaning and sometimes insulting. Other slaves received names of the month. Many people today still have surnames such as January, February, September or October. Names from the classical period (Greek and Roman history) were also common and such as Cupido, Titus, Scipio and Hannibal. Names from the Old Testament were also used, such as Moses and Solomon. Other people’s slave ancestry cannot be seen in their names. For example, the Bassons are descendents of Angela of Bengal, the Snymans are descendents of Antony of Bengale and the Claasens are descendents of Claas of Malabar. Some slaves were allowed to keep their given, indigenous names. This practice was common among the VOC-owned slaves who lived in the Slave Lodge, but rare amongst slaves in private ownership. Only a small group of slaves received names similar to those of free men and women such as Antony, Maria and Anna.

Slave owners decided how much and what they may eat, where they slept, the clothes they wore. On most farms, slaves slept in kitchens, attics and barns, or out-of-doors when the weather was warm. Only a very few larger farms had special sleeping quarters for slaves. Clothing was used to distinguish slaves from free people and slave men were not allowed to wear shoes. Slaves were also not allowed to wear hats until they passed an exam to prove that they could speak Dutch. Some slave men undermined this rule by wearing handkerchiefs and turbans as an expression of an alternate culture. Helpless slave parents suffered even more as they had to witness their children being abused by their owners. Slaves were not allowed to get married. Life partners could therefore be separated at the whim of the owner. The children of slaves could also be sold separately from their parents.

The Slave Lodge

The Slave Lodge (at Adderley Street), “a shameless fortress…of human misery”, housed the slaves who belonged to the Dutch East India Company (VOC). These slaves worked for the VOC and were never sold. The Slave Lodge was wet, dark and dirty as a subterranean stream flowed under it. The bedding stayed wet in winter and that the slaves never had time to properly wash and clean their belongings. Food was inadequate. Statistics show that the death rate was higher during winter than in summer. The stench was unbearable in the Lodge and was especially bad in the vicinity of the eight toilets next to the quarters of the mentally ill.

VOC allowed the Lodge to be used as a brothel and some of these relationships led to marriage. The hospital in the eastern wing of the Slave Lodge treated slaves and Khoi women who suffered from venereal diseases. Since 1671, several placaaten (regulations), were issued that forbid sexual relationships between slave women and men of European descent. The growing number of mulatto children (slaves of partial European descent) indicates that these placaaten were not adhered to. Women were also even forced by their male partners to sleep with the visitors for the going rate of a 3-inch piece of tobacco. However, the VOC never took steps to prevent the visits from free men to slave women in the Lodge.

This Lodge also housed petty convicts, the mentally ill and political exiles. The lowest rank slaves in the Slave Lodge, were the Fiscal’s and executioner’s assistants or kaffers and only the convicts had a lower status. Mulatto slaves were treated differently. It is estimated that between 7000 and 9000 slaves lived in the Slave Lodge over a period of 132 years. They received instruction in the Christian religion and all children were baptised whether the parents of the child were Christian or not. At school, they were taught how to be good slaves, and in 1666, all the slaves in the Slave Lodge were baptised.

Otto Mentzel wrote in 1785 that slaves received new clothing once a year. He described their clothing as follows: “… each male slave wears a doublet and trousers made of coarse white woollen cloth with black streaks and lined with a cotton cloth called ‘sailcloth’. The doublet is adorned with 12 brass buttons. These outfits were made by the garrison tailors. The female slaves wear imported smocks from Batavia. It is made up of six yards of coarse cotton cloth.” Some slaves sold their clothes to earn money. However, the British later turned the lodge into offices.

The slave lodge today

Life of a slave

Some slave men took Khoekhoe partners. That also meant that their children would not be regarded as slaves. In 1752, the government allowed farmers to indenture these children until they were 25 years old. This meant that these children, called Bastaard Hottentots, spend the best part of their lives in similar conditions as slaves. Thus, many South Africans of all races are descendents of slaves.

The people living in the Cape Colony were very conscious of class differences. The VOC officials looked down on the burghers, the indigenous peoples and slaves. The rich burghers looked down on the poor burghers and other free people who did not own property such as soldiers, sailors and knechts. Free white people, rich and poor, looked down on the indigenous peoples and the slaves. Differences were also made according to class and race when it came to justice. People of colour and slaves received heavier sentences for the same crimes burghers. In many societies slaves had no status before the law. That meant, amongst other things, that if an owner murdered his/her slave, it was not regarded as a crime.

Most people did not defend slavery on the basis of racism or the inferiority of the enslaved people. They accepted slavery as normal practice. It was only towards the later part of the 18th century and especially the 19th century that some people started to think that it was wrong to enslave people. According to some burghers, they were given the right to own slaves and such rights, whether good or bad, cannot just be taken away. They also argued that it would cost them a lot of money, if slaves were to be freed. In 1834, slavery was outlawed by the British government at the Cape. However, people who were already enslaved and their newborn children still remained slaves and could still be sold. In addition, the government also wanted to give slave owners time to adapt. Slaves therefore had to work for another four years as apprentices for their former owners. This meant that they had to continue to work for their former owners without pay.

The emancipation of slaves worsened the farmers financial problems. They used slaves as collatoral to obtain finance and were facing bankruptcy when slaves were set free. The owners received some compensation for their slaves, but the slaves received nothing to help them to start a new life. Being freed did not mean having the same opportunities as the former owners. The Masters and Servants Ordinance in 1842 favoured the employer rather than the workers. Desertion, neglect, insubordination and the use of insulting language by workers were criminal offences. Slavery was outlawed in the French Empire in 1848 and the Dutch Empire in 1863. In some Caribbean and American societies, slavery was abolished as late as 1870 in Cuba, 1873 in Puerto Rico and 1888 in Brazil. Learning about slavery past helps us to become aware of people who are still suffering in similar circumstances today.

http://www.iziko.org.za/sh/resources/slavery/slavery_routes.html

Eventually, there were more slaves than settlers and the Malays constituted around 10% of the slave population.

Javanese was likely to have been used extensively in the early days of Dutch rule in Southern Africa when large numbers of “Malay” slaves were transported to the Cape of Good Hope. However, the “Cape Malay” descendents have over time lost their ancestral languages to Afrikaans and English.

www.lowlands-l.net/anniversary/jawa-info.php

(History of Muslims in South Africa)

1652 – J S Mayson, describing the Islamic life in the 19th century Cape Town, in The Malays of Cape Town, writes: “In 1652 a few Malays of Batavia were brought by the Dutch into the Residency, and subsequent Settlement of the Cape of Good Hope…” It is possible that these “Malays of Batavia” were the first Muslims to come to this country.

1654 – Four “Asiatics” had been sentenced by the High Court of Justice in Batavia to banishment and hard labour for life. Their crime: preaching insurrection in Batavia against Dutch rule. Three of them were sent in the Haaselt to Mauritius and one was brought to the Cape of Good Hope. This political prisoner was probably among the the first recorded Muslim to land on South African soil, two years after the White settlement in the country.

1658 – The first recorded arrival of Muslims were known as the Mardyckers (the word “implies” freedom as opposed to the reissued Placaat of 1642 in 1657). They were brought from Amboyna in the southern Mollucca Islands for the protection of the colony and for serving as a labour force. The 1642 Placaat issued by Van Diemen and reissued by Governor Maetsuyckers in 1657 in anticipation of the arrival of Muslims in the Cape that stated:

“No one shall trouble the Amboinese about their religion or annoy them; so long as they do not practise in public or venture to propagate it amongst Christians and heathens. Offenders to be punished with death, but should there be amongst them those who had been drawn to God to become Christians, they were not to be prevented from joining Christian churches”

(Quoted in Achmat Davids, Mosques of the BoKaap, The South African Institute of Arabic and Islamic Research [Cape Town] 1980, p87 from Aspeling, E, The Cape Malays by a Cape Colonist, W A Richards & Son, 1883.)

http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/library-resources/online%20books/history-muslims/1600s.htm

The Dutch takes Human cargo

The first slaves at the Cape also arrived on 28 March 1658 on board the Amersfoort. This group was captured by the Dutch from a Portuguese slaver that was on its way to Brazil. Of the 250 slaves that were captured, only 170 survived the journey to the Cape. Most of the slaves on board the Amersfoort were originally captured by the Portuguese in present-day Angola. The second group also came from West Africa. On 6 May 1658, 228 slaves from Ghana arrived at the Cape on board the Hassalt. These two groups were the only slaves who came from West Africa.

http://www.iziko.org.za/sh/resources/slavery/slavery_routes.html

Displacement of Indigenous People to the Southern most Tip of Africa (and Ceylon).

Human cargo of slaves who were snatched away from their families and lands, and survived the treacherous sea voyage, would have greeted their destination with relief after that ordeal. They may have also feared the unknown with uncertainty on what would become of them. This must have pressed hard on their hearts and spirits. Now banished from their familiar environment and being subjected to harsh treatment, sold, transported many times and then placed at the mercy of some strange person as their property.

1667 – Arrival of political exiles [Orang Cayen].

This year saw the arrival of more Muslim political exiles banished by the Dutch to the Cape. These political exiles or Orang Cayen were Muslim men of wealth and influence who were banished to the Cape from their homeland in the East because the Dutch feared them as a threat to their political and economic hegemony. The first political exiles were the rulers of Sumatra. They were Sheikh Abdurahman Matahe Sha and Sheikh Mahmood. (Both were buried in Constantia.) From the very outset the Cape authorities accommodated the exiles away from Cape Town as they feared the exiles would escape. A tomb for these political exiles has been erected on “Islam Hill” in Constantia in the Cape. (Shaykh Yusuf of Macassar is the best known of the Orang Cayen.)

1681 – Officially Cape designated place of political exiles.

From 1681 onwards the Cape of Good Hope became an official place of confinement for Eastern political prisoners of rank of the Dutch East India Company. Macassarian princes arrived at the Cape and were sentenced for opposing Dutch rule. They were housed in stables at the Castle of Good Hope. As former heads of state in the Indonesian archipelago, they, however, exerted very little direct influence in the establishment and development of Islam at the Cape. Thus, the role of the political exiles in the establishment of Islam has been greatly overplayed at this time.

1694 – Arrival of Shaykh Yusuf.

Shaykh Yusuf ['Abidin Tadia Tjoessoep] was born in 1626 of noble birth in Goa in the East Indies. He fought alongside and supported Sultan Ajung of Bantam, Goa, in his war against the Dutch. Twice Shaykh Yusuf escaped from Dutch custody in the East, but was finally persuaded in 1694 to surrender on the promise of a pardon. The Dutch did not fulfil their promise and Shaykh Yusuf was banished, along with his family and followers, to the Castle in Batavia from where he was transferred, under armed guard, to the Castle in Colombo, Ceylon [now Sri Lanka]. Fearing Shaykh Yusuf’s influence in Ceylon the Dutch exiled him to the Cape of Good Hope ten years after his initial surrender. The Shaykh arrived on board `De Voetboog’ on April 02, 1694 along with his retinue of 49 which included his two wives [Carecontoe and Carepane], two slave girls [Mu'minah and Na'imah], 12 children, 12 imams [religious leaders] and several friends with their families. He was royally welcomed by Governor Simon van der Stel at the Cape. They were housed on a farm in Zandvleit, near the mouth of the Eerste River in the Cape, far from Cape Town, on June 14, 1694. The Company’s attempt to isolate Shaykh Yusuf at Zandvleit did not succeed. On the contrary, Zandvleit turned out to be the rallying point for `fugitive’ slaves and other exiles from (he East. It was here that the first cohesive Muslim community in South Africa was established. Since many of the Shaykh’s followers hailed from Makassar, the district around Zandvleit is still known today as Macassar.

1697 – Arrival of the Rajah of Tambora [Abdul Basi Sultania].

Another political exile to be brought to the Cape was the Abdul Basi Sultania, the Rajah of Tambora. Tambora was originally part of the Majaphit Kingdom of Java. The Rajah arrived at the Cape in chains, being sentenced for actively opposing the Dutch East India Company in his native country. On his arrival at the Cape, he was housed in a stable at the Castle in Cape Town, but upon Shaykh Yusuf’s intervention, the Cape authorities moved the Rajah to Vergelegen in the district of Stellenbosch to live in isolation and away from other political exiles. Robert Shell 7 maintains that the Voortrekker leader, Piet Retief, was a descendant of the Rajah of Tambora.

1697 – First hand-written Qur’an at the Cape.

The Rajah of Tambora, while living in isolation with his family at Vergelegen, wrote from memory the holy Qur’an which was given as a gift to the Governor, Simon van der Stel. This Qur’an, the first written in the Cape Colony, probably never passed out of Vergelegen.

1699 – Death of Sheikh Yusuf

Shaykh Yusuf died on May 23, 1699 at the age of 73. Shortly after his death, the Rajah of Goa petitioned the Dutch Governor-General and the Council at Batavia to transfer Shaykh Yusuf’s widows, children, friends and servants back to Batavia. Thus in 1704 after much petitioning the Company allowed solely the Shaykh’s widows and daughters to return to Batavia on two ships: De Liefde and De Spiegel. As far as Shaykh Yusuf’s sons and grandsons were concerned, only those below the age of five/six were permitted to go back. The Company resolved to keep Shaykh Yusuf’s friends and servants and had them evaluated. They were forced to work for the Company until their term of service was deemed as adequate recompen­sation for what it had cost the Company to maintain the Shaykh and his retinue at Zandvleit. One of Shaykh Yusuf’s daughters, Zytia Sara Marouff, who had married the exiled King of Tambora at the Cape, remained behind, and two of the Shaykh’s followers requested the Cape authorities for permission to stay at the Cape. The tomb of Shaykh Yusuf is situated at Zandvleit, Faure, in the Cape. It was rebuilt [as it stands today] by Haji Sullaiman Shah Mohammed, a Muslim philanthropist of Cape Town, in 1927.

http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/library-resources/online%20books/history-muslims/1600s.htm

]]> http://toyerfarrath.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/the-assimilation-enslavement-1500-%e2%80%93-1652/ Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:19:01 +0000 tahirfarrath http://toyerfarrath.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/the-assimilation-enslavement-1500-%e2%80%93-1652/

How it all began…

1485 – Câo puts ashore the Cape Cross, north of present-day Walvis Bay.

1488 – Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias arrived in Mossel Bay and made contact with the Khoisan. He erected a cross, and called the bay Aguada de São Brás, as they landed on the festival day of Saint Blaise. The harbour and surrounding area was renamed Mosselbaai (Bay of Mussels) in 1601 by Dutch navigator Paulus van Caerden.

1503 – Antonio de Saldanha, leading a Portuguese squadron, enters Table Bay (called Aguada da Saldanha until 1601) owing to a navigational error. They are the first Europeans to climb Table Mountain, which they name Taboa do Cabo (the Table Cape) on account of its shape. The King of Portugal, John II, renamed the area from the Cape of Storms to Cabo da Boa Esperança or Cape of Good Hope as it led to the riches of India.

1510 – On his way back to Portugal the Viceroy of Portuguese India, Francisco d’ Almeida, is killed in a skirmish with Khoi-Khoi, probably due to a misunderstanding arising from a barter between the Khoi-Khoi and the Portuguese at the mouth of the Salt River in Table Bay. Thereafter, Portuguese traders tend to bypass the Cape itself, relying on Robben Island for fresh meat and water.

1554 – The Portuguese ship São Bento was wrecked north of the Great Fish River on its return from the East. Manuel de Mesquita Perestrelo, Portuguese navigator and cartographer is one of 64 survivors of the crew of 473 who reaches Delagoa Bay on foot, and one of 23 to be ultimately rescued.

1575 – Portuguese mariner and cartographer Manuel de Mesquita Perestrelo explores the south and south-east coast of South Africa on a voyage for this purpose. He gives the first detailed description and draws a map of the coast.

1580 – An English admiral, Francis Drake, rounds the Cape on his voyage round the world in his quest to reach India for the English Crown. He describes the Cape in the following words: ‘This Cape is a most stately thing, and the fairest Cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth.’

1592 – The English navigator, James Lancaster, barters sheep in the Bay of Saldaha (called Table Bay after 1601) from the Khoi-Khoi. He describes the sheep as very large, with good mutton, bearing no wool but hair, and with very large tails.

1595 – Four ships under Cornelis de Houtman reach São Bras. This is the first contact of the Dutch with the coast of Southern Africa.

1601 – Joris van Spilbergen, leading a Dutch fleet, casts anchor in the Bay of Saldaha (Aguada da Saldanha) and names it Table Bay after Table Mountain, while the original name is transferred to the present Saldanha Bay

1615 – Sir Thomas Roe attempts to land some deported British criminals at the Cape, but those who are not drowned or killed by Khoi-Khoi are soon removed from the Cape and the scheme is abandoned. (SESA, v. 2, p. 507)

1631 – The English take Autshumao (also Autshumato), chief of the Goringhaikonas Khoi-Khoi, to Batavia. He is known to the English as ‘Harry’ and later to the Dutch as ‘Herry’. He is later returned to the Cape. He also acts as the resident agent or postmaster for passing ships.

http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/chronology/chronology.htm

The Dutch East India Company saw the need to establish a mid-station between Europe and the East at the southern most tip of Africa.

The Dromedaris arrives

In 1652, the first Europeans sent to settle in South Africa were the Dutch seafarer Jan van Riebeeck and his crew, who arrived with their three ships in Table Bay. The local inhabitants in the Cape at that time were the Khoisan people.

http://www.south-africa-tours-and-travel.com/slaves-in-south-africa.html

Van Riebeeck’s specific instructions were not to colonise the Cape (or so it seemed) but to build a fort, to erect a flagpole for signalling to passing ships, and to build pilot boats to escort them safely into the bay.

http://www.southafrica.to/history/JanVanRiebeeck/JanvanRiebeeck.htm

Welcome to Meliza & Melanie, travel agents from Gracy Travel USA and first time visitors to the Cape.

Meliza has a good eye for beaded jewellery and first stop was Street Wires - a community project which started in 2000 with a couple of artists and has grown to 75 artists making beaded art for sale.  They have a variety of products for sale and you have the opportunity to meet the artists in the workshop.  Situated in the city bowl, a worthwhile stop on a city tour.

We spent a couple of days touring around the wine region and Cape Peninusular – finishing with visits to some of our five star hotels in the vicinity of the Waterfront.  It is always easier to promote places to new clients once you have seen them for yourself.

Melanie & Meliza at the Cape of Good Hope

Dropping them at the airport, it was a first time experience for me to see the new departures terminal at Cape Town International airport - what a pleasure!  Professional looking, well-organised and plenty of space.

I wish them a safe trip home in time for thanksgiving.

As we mentioned in our last post, we ended up checking out of the B&B we were scheduled to be in due to lack of internet service and distance from where we needed to be.  Sad, because it was a cute little place but where we ended up…OH BOY!  We feel like we are living in a condo!!  Before we left, Tina was so happy because they had a washer and dryer and since she only brought 6 pair of undies (not sure what she was thinking!), she has been giving a new meaning to the word “commando” for a couple of days.  Needless to say, she now is “covered!”  

Our living room

Our bedroom

Our morning was a little off due to having to find a new place to stay and then actually getting there but all ended up ok.  Tina and I have been doing an awesome job, I must say, staying in the moment and just allowing things to happen as they will.  This keeps us in a state of squeezing everything we can out of every moment we are here.

We ended up taking the half-day afternoon tour headed to The Cape of Good Hope.  This area is the southwestern most point of South Africa and is where the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans meet.  Thabani was our tour guide and he was a hoot!!  We were in the van with a couple from Austria and another couple from Whales.  Thabani was cracking jokes the whole time about where each of us were from.

Tina and Thabani

Chris and Tina at False Bay overlook

It was a quite eventful ride (it took about an hour and a half) and we stopped a few times along the way.  As we were passing a beautiful beach off of the Atlantic Ocean, Thabani pointed out to us the FULL-TIME shark spotters on the beach.  The shark spotters sit up over the cliff with binoculars and have different colored flags that warn the guard on the beach if there is a shark in the area.  This happens quite often due to the fact that the sharks mistake the people for seals!   If you saw the movie “Jaws” – that is the shark we are talking about.  They are ALL OVER the waters in Cape Town!!  (Vin you would be in heaven!!)

False Bay

We then stopped to see the penguins and found out their nickname is the “Jackass Penguins” due to the fact that when they make noise apparently they sound like a Jackass!  (A few people I know came to mind….  )  They so reminded me of the movie “March of the Penguins!” 

Penguins

"Happy Feet"

Tina and I then decided we had to use the restroom and upon entering the stall noticed a box on the back of the toilet.  To our surprise and laughter (loud enough for the entire place to hear!) there were boxes of FREE condoms in every stall!  Seriously though, this is a way South Africa is educating people on safe sex so as to prevent the spread of AIDS.  (NO – Tina and I did not take any!!) 

Only Tina and I would take a picture of condoms!

We started our drive again and were warned about the WILD BABOONS!  These guys are EVERYWHERE!!!  Apparently, they have been fed too much by tourists so are now on the violent side and actually try to jump in peoples cars to get food.  We passed a mama and her baby on the side of the road….SO CUTE!! 

Baboon mama and baby

We finally almost got to our destination when we stopped again for a bit to climb up to a lighthouse overlooking the Indian Ocean.  It became very apparent as to why they call Cape Town the “windiest city in the world!”  Tina almost had to cash in my life insurance policy because I literally almost got blown off the edge while going up.  TINA IS MY HERO…SHE SAVED MY LIFE!!  (tears of joy and gratitude flowing).   We were so “blown away” at the top, we decided to take the Funicular (a flying Dutchman-kind of cable car) back down mainly due to the fact that I was having a hard time remembering where I put my life insurance policy!!

Lighthouse view-you have no idea what it took to take this picture!!

"Funicular" car

Once we got back to our “palace” we decided to order pizza and beer.  We were soooo happy!  We also noticed that this is the first post that we do not have a picture of us drinking an adult beverage….on the other hand,  we also just noticed that we talked about drinking an adult beverage and happen to be drinking one as we type so maybe this whole paragraph is totally pointless! 

On to tomorrow where we are going to be…wait for it….DRINKING!!!  (full-day wine vineyard tour!!)

Here's for "hoping" for a good day tomorrow...

The tour of the photos on the country pages of the CIA World Factbook continues in this post with ones from African nations, and so we’ll start with a regional map, then work our way counter clockwise, starting with Libya:

Minaret seen through the 2nd century A.D. Arch of Marcus Aurelius, Tripoli, Libya

Medina or old city quarter, Tripoli, Libya

Roman theater at Sabratha, Libya

Algiers, Algeria

The oasis village of Beni Abbes, Algeria.

The oasis village of Taghit in the Sahara, Algeria

Sahara Dunes, Algeria

The Hassan Tower and remains of a mosque next to the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco

Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco

Lake Nyos, Cameroon

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke that Thunders) [Victoria Falls], Zimbabwe

Gorge carved by Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke that Thunders) [Victoria Falls], Zambia

People’s Palace, Stone Town, Tanzania

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Rwanda hillside.

Frame for a rondavel (house), Uganda

Acacia trees in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

]]> http://noolo.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/3380/ Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:31:26 +0000 noolo http://noolo.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/3380/

Q1. Will science ever catches up with science fiction ?

Q2. Should such movies carry a disclaimer of sorts since its anti-science ?

Q3. Should Govt apprise pple if there happens to be a doomsday ?

Q4. Is there any public good in making such movies ?

An exploration along the peninsula coastline to enjoy some of the most inspiring scenery South Africa has to offer, with the main feature being the spectacular Cape Point and the historical Cape of Good Hope.

Featuring:

	The Atlantic Seaboard: This curvy stretch of coastline, also informally known as the millionaire’s mile, stretches along Sea Point, Bantry Bay, Clifton and Camps Bay where some of the best beaches of Cape Town can be enjoyed. The road we follow hugs the coastline with the formidable Table Mountain and the 12 Apostles mountain range close on our one side and the vast South Atlantic on the other. We pass the trendy café’s in Camps Bay which are very popular venues to enjoy sundowners while viewing the magnificent sunsets over the Atlantic ocean.
	Picturesque Hout Bay literally translated meaning “Wood Bay”, where the early Dutch Settlers collected timber to repair their ships after sailing along the rough seas of the Cape Coast. Our tour includes an optional stop at Mariner’s Wharf, the original Waterfront of Cape Town, for a boat cruise to Duiker Island, home of the Cape Fur Seal, largest of all fur seals.
	Traveling through the quaint holiday and residential villages of Kommetjie and Scarborough, we enter the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, rich in historical significance and offering an abundance of natural beauty. This is home to more than 2200 plant species and various birds and mammals, including antelope, baboon, ostrich, land based- and seabirds. The impressive views of the vast Oceans towards the South and West, the Hottentots Holland Mountains across False Bay to the East and the Cape Peninsula to the North, can be seen from the lighthouse at Cape Point which is situated on the highest sea cliffs in South Africa. Our next stop is the Cape of Good Hope, the most south-westerly point on the African continent. Your exact location when standing at this point? 18º East and 34º South.
	A visit to the Boulders Beach introduces you to the charming Penguin Colony, all of them dressed in their “tuxedo outfits”.
	Simons Town’s long and illustrious naval heritage is visible everywhere in this town; including the statue of “Able-seaman” Just Nuisance, the only dog ever to be officially enlisted as a member of the Royal Navy.
	In the long shadows of the Eastern slopes of Table Mountain lies Kirstenbosch , the flagship of South African Botanical Gardens, with more than 9000 species of plants. This exquisite garden will leave a lasting impression of “the fairest Cape of them all”.
	Suggested Lunch options are : Restaurant / light snack at Cape Point or Simons Town Source: 34 South Tours

Her er diverse bilder fra Sør-Afrika-turen.

Utenfor Aparteidmuseet i Johannesburg

Durban. Sol, kaffe, strand og bølger. Kan det bli bedre?

Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point

Robben Island

Vinsmaking i Stellenbosch

Ut på tur, aldri sur. Biltur i leiebil!

One of the major attractions in the area is Cape Point itself, with the legendary Cape of Good Hope. Situated within the Table Mountain National Park, the combination of sea, mountains and indigenous animals is hard to beat. Take the Flying Dutchman funicular to the old lighthouse (and find out why it is called the Flying Dutchman) or climb the stairs to the top if you feel like exerting some energy. At the Cape Point promontory you may not literally see two oceans meeting but you will most definitely share in the “end of a continent” feel.

Don’t make the mistake of dashing up, taking a photograph and leaving the reserve. There is a glorious walk along the cliffs to the new lighthouse, which has the most powerful beam of any lighthouse in South Africa. When you come down, invariably with a true impression of the power of the wind, indulge at the Two Oceans Restaurant for breakfast, lunch, tea or cocktails or pop into the souvenir and curio shop for a momento.

Spend some time ticking off the list of animals, various small mammals, antelope, zebras, baboons and birds. Stop at the informative Buffelsfontein information centre and visit some of the beaches that are a little off the beaten track. A visit to the reserve could take you the whole day!

CULTURAL CAPE TOWN

Diversity is the keynote to South African culture and we have not been dubbed the Rainbow nation for nothing. Cape Town has a cosmopolitan cultural mix which has been influenced over the years mainly by the Dutch, French and British, with a significant influence also having come from Malaysia, to combine with the Khoi-san and isi-Xhosa immigrants from the Eastern Cape.
Museums, theatres, galleries, crafts, political and historical sites reflect South Africa’s rich past and recent history.

SIMONS’ TOWN

Recently penguin mania has hit Hollywood with popular movies – Madagascar, March of the Penguins and Happy Feet. As a result penguins are a star attraction and one of the highlights of any visit to Simons’ Town. But Simon’s town has loads more to offer than our quirky feathered friends at Boulders Beach.

Named after Cape Governor Simon van der Stel in 1687, Simons’ Town provided a valuable anchorage during the Dutch Colonial era and after the British took over in 1814, because it was the Royal Navy’s main South Atlantic base until the 1950’s. Steeped in history with acquired charm, this village now features its own waterfront development, a yacht club, and fascinating architecture from South Africa’s third oldest town.

There are 4 museums in town, an historical mile with a multitude of historical tales and buildings to match the distance. Boat trips head off in all directions and one of our favourite activities is sea kayaking. Don’t miss Scratch Patch and Mineral World – the largest gem stone factory in the southern hemisphere, where you can scratch for your own bag of semi precious stones.

NOORDHOEK FARM VILLAGE

Information Office. Tel: 021 789 1317 www.noordhoekvillage.co.za
5 minutes drive from Afton Grove

This shopping and entertainment village in the heart of Noordhoek has a charming character with white cottages of Cape Dutch architecture set under mature, shady oaks.

Buy local fresh produce from the farmstall, which also serves light meals, or wander around the interesting range of quality shops selling African crafts, antiques, handmade ceramics and ethnic clothing. Visit the local artists who display their work at the “Cellars” or simply enjoy a wine-tasting of local wines.

Enjoy leisurely breakfast, lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants or pubs 7 days a week – The Food Barn run by acclaimed chef Frank Dangeraux, the cozy and welcoming Café Roux and the warmth of the Nags Head.

Source: Cape Town Accommodation

 Africa…Land of the wild and free!

We departed Mumbai, India early morning on 6/20/09.   This whole day was a trip.  It actually started the night before, as we needed to make arrangements for the Safari.  We had been working with an agent in Colorado called Adventures Within Reach.  Now I know it is cutting it close but after 1 year of research we were still undecided on who to use for the trip and how we were going to make it work.  I was intent on seeing Tanzania’s Northern circuit, which includes all of the classic “Africa” areas.  Arusha National Park, Ngorongoro NP, Tarangire NP and the Serengeti NP.  During our early research we were told that no safari companies would take kids into the northern circuit area, as it was not considered safe.  I refused to believe this and so set out to find an outfit that would accommodate our family.  Most companies would not take children under 16, however I found one that would.  They wanted 25K to give us a 10-day safari (private vehicle) that would cater to kids.  I had a problem with this big time.  That is $2500 USD per day to go camping in a grassy plain.  I don’t care what you cook for me or what level of safari you provide, this is just f-ing insane.  The same goes for the lodges at $400 per person per day.  What the F@#$ could you possibly provide for $2000 per day for my family to possibly make this worth it.  And of course, as usual, Lonely Planet insists you should be able to exist on midrange accommodations for $50USD per day.  WWFFFF what are they smoking?  Oh yeah, they also say in a different section that most people join planned safari trips (no shit) and they should cost $200 per day per person for mid range lodges.  OK So what the F am I smoking????  Fast forward to last night.  We finally, agree on price and Itinerary with the above named Tour Company and set into motion the plan.  Mind you it is 1:30 am India time, our flight departs 5:30 am (remember this is India time, so nothing is ever on time) so we need to be there at 3:30 am for international check in.  I send my last email at 2:30 am trying to firm up details of where we are staying etc. and get a response that we will be staying at one of two hotels (whichever has availability) when we arrive. Ok, this is close enough for me.  I need to wake the kids and get our bags downstairs as the shuttle is ordered for 3:00am   Tristi and I both manage to shower and get the kids up and all bags downstairs by 2:55am.  Now I stayed awake working on our booking and updates for the Blog, as I was way behind on that and also knew we would miss our flight if I fell asleep.  As the hours passed and the same old Indian news droned on, an emergency bulletin popped up.  Russian Military Aircraft intrudes an Indian airspace and is brought down by Indian Military.  Where did they make the forced landing…  Mumbai of course.  The Airport was shut down and the Russian jet was surrounded.  I am thinking at this point, we are definitely going to be late into Ethiopia and miss our connecting flight to Kilimanjaro.   Reports kept coming out as to the situation.  It was determined that the jet was not carrying any bombs, weapons or ammunition, and they had began interrogations of the crew.  They reopened the airport for international flights around 1:30am.  I never did get any follow-up to the situation, as we were just a little busy.

As predicted the flight was delayed, not as a result of the Russian jet situation but just that of Indian Time.  Some flights were on time just not ours.  We stopped into a coffee shop and got some drinks and began making some PB and J’s when out of nowhere a rat runs across the shop floor.  The staff looked like the 3 stooges trying to catch the thing.  It bolted past them and right up on the set of chairs where Sara was sitting.  It was hilarious.  Sara jumped 3 feet in the air, let out a high-pitched scream and the jelly sitting on her lap crashed to the floor.  Everyone in the vicinity ran over to see what had happened.  It was absolutely one of those priceless moments.  Embarrassing as hell at the time but priceless nonetheless.

We finally arrived in Tanzania, figured out which hotel could accommodate us (Le Jacaranda) after checking both.  We settled in and finally were able to get something to eat and relax.  I do want to add a couple of side notes here.  On our flight in we flew over Mt. Kilimanjaro, it was spectacular.  Also of note, our drive in was very surprising, as the landscape was lush tropical flora.  There were banana trees and coffee plantations along with endless cornfields and beautiful flowering trees and plants all over the place.  The streets were clean and the sides of the roads groomed and looking very welcoming as well.  The weather is surprisingly cool being late June and so close to the equator.  As far as hotels go this was a 4.  No Heat or hot water, we asked for additional blankets and they brought us each one.  That’s one per room!  The kids had 3 beds and found it hard to share the blanket.  We had our lightweight sleeping bags with us so we managed, but that says a lot for service.  Of course we did not come to Africa to be pampered and there were no complaints from any of us.  After checking email (painfully slow, but at least available) we crashed out.

We woke at 6:15am and got packed up, woke the kids (which is always a chore) and managed to get to breakfast by 8.  We headed out on our first day of safari in Arusha National Park.  It wasn’t long past the gate and we had our first sighting.  We saw a family of baboons.  We watched the family interact for a while and then continued down the trail.  Off on our left side of the Jeep was a small group of giraffe.  We were tripping over ourselves to get a view of these long necked creatures.  It finally hit us; we are on safari in Africa.  How cool!  Seeing giraffe in the wild is much different than seeing monkeys, at least for us, as they were all over Southeast Asia, china and India.  As we drove on we saw water buffalo, zebra, warthogs, and impala.  We concluded our first day of safari, tired, hungry, and fully satisfied with our sightings in the field. That night the power shut down around 10:30 pm as the generator is always shut down at this time.  With no power, there were no lights, which means plentiful stars.  The Milky Way was ablaze, and the big dipper was still in sight but you could also clearly see the Southern Cross.  The star clusters are clearly thicker in the southern hemisphere, partly to lack of light pollution but also because there are more stars in the southern view.  It is a toss up between New Zealand and Africa to which view is better.  Both places we were able to view with no moon that makes viewing spectacular.  I do have a feeling that once we get out into drier savanna the moisture content in the air will significantly drop and allow for even better viewing.  It was a shame that we had a full moon cycle while in the Australian outback, because this may have truly been the best.  Soon after my viewing was over I crawled into bed and fell asleep.

Day two of safari started with breakfast at 7 and hitting the road by 8.  We had to stop into town and pick up some supplies, and hotel/lodge vouchers prior to hitting Lake Manyara National Park.  We finally arrived around 1:30 pm and got right into action.  We were able to see our first African elephants, Hippopotamus, wildebeest, gazelles, dik dik, blue mongoose, several varieties of hornbill, and a host of other really interesting wildlife.  Even though we started late we felt like we got a lot of action for those 5 wonderful hours.  We headed up to the top of the ridge where our hotel was waiting.  A wonderful staff greeted us and the hotel exceeded our expectations.  The meal was superb, as was the atmosphere.  The views are to die for.  We were overlooking the lake, and black skies offered spectacular views of the Milky Way and the Southern Cross.

Days 3, 4, and 5 were spent in the Serengeti, home of the Lion King.  We spotted a Cheetah hiding in the bush, and a leopard sleeping in a tree. There were a nice variety of lion, several hyenas, a monitor lizard, several crocodile, herds of Zebra, antelope, wildebeest, and much more.  One of the most spectacular sights was stumbling upon several spots in the park where the migration was in full play.  There were thousands upon endless thousands of animals covering the plains as far as the eye could see.  Now I wish I could say we were in the thick of it, but the massive herds we saw were actually the second wave of the great migration.  The primary wave was already north of the central Serengeti.  Day 5 brought us within short reach of the Kenya border but the herds were already north into Kenya.  We missed the migration; in it’s most concentrated form however what we saw was spectacular.  Day 6 was spent driving south, back to the center, and then continuing east towards Ngorongoro National Park.  On the way we saw many herds, some new species not yet on the list, and a very rare sighting of a mature pair of lions mating.  We apparently got the male pissed off as he charged the vehicle.  Our first experience, of up close, pissed off lion was not enough.  He stopped about 15 feet from the Land Cruiser after letting out some very serious grunting roars.  Our guide pulled the vehicle to safety just in time to thwart his mighty assault.  The lion casually strutted back to his female and lay down next to her.  The guide backed the vehicle up for us to take another watch at the happy couple.  After licking his mate several times he stood up and broke out in full stride toward the truck, this time with full repeated roars and his mane standing on end.  The guide dropped it in gear and tried speeding away, with one eye on the road and the other on the lion.  He swerved off the road and up an embankment and almost tipped the rig over.  We were all shitting ourselves, while all the time trying to take photos and video.  Had we dumped, we would all be dead.  This is an open roofed ride with sliding glass windows all the way around.  Lucky for us the guide was able to get back on the trail and speed away enough to hold off the lion until he got tired.  It was so close that I could not film him in the chase.  I was hanging out the top and trying to hold on and focus on the lion at the same time, without luck.  I reviewed the tape and only after we stopped, both the lion, and us, was I able to focus on him again.  It was an amazing experience.  I think this chase had more adrenalin than both skydiving and bungee jumping put together.  I have never been so scared and excited as I was staring down the snarling mouth full of teeth less than 5 feet from my face.  All he needed was a good leap and it would have been good-bye arm or face or worse he could have landed in the Jeep and tore us all to shreds.  The guide had never seen such aggression from any lion ever.  He was speechless for quite some time after leaving the area.  We drove for at least a half hour before he would really talk about it.  It was probably closer than we even realize.

Lion Love

Charging Lion!  This is why they are the king of beasts!

We arrived several hours later at Ngorongoro Crater, and checked into our lodge.  This place is located right on the rim of the crater and the views are spectacular.  This crater is actually a completely in tact collapsed calderas, or core of an erupted volcano. What we see today is all that remains of a once mighty mountain.  There is a lake at the bottom, some 600 meters below our lodge, and filled with thousands of resident game herds, 21 black rhinoceros, and the highest concentration of predators per land area of any place on earth.  Our 2 days in and around the crater proved to be just shy of spectacular.  We totally enjoyed the terrain and the flora both inside and outside the crater, but we were unable to see any leopard up close, and the real disappointment was that we only saw one rhino and it was from some distance.  The rhino are very shy and are usually hiding in the tall grasses during the windy times, as was the case while we were there.  We saw plenty of game and added a few new ones to the list, so we really shouldn’t complain.  We completed our afternoon game drive and headed up to our lodge.

Day 8 began with a 2-hour drive to Lake Eyasi where we dropped our gear at the Tented Camp, and headed out for an afternoon game drive.  Day 9 started very early as we went out on a hunt with the Wathadzabe tribe.  Noah and I prepared our bows and arrows and headed out with the men of the tribe.  The girls were able to follow, but not hunt as this is traditionally left for the men.  We ran thru the forest following one of the guys, as they all went different ways.  Our guy lost us so we hunted by ourselves.  I took one attempt at a squirrel, missed, and spent the next 20 minuets looking for that damn arrow that was made from the same sticks as those laying on the forest floor.  On my way back to camp I spotted a white face monkey (the tribes favorite food) and figured I was not close enough to take him out (also, I don’t think I could take out the monkey, even though the tribe would have been grateful) so I passed on the “shoot and search for arrow” routine.  The kids, decided to call me squirrel man for the rest of the day.  Unlike my hunt, the tribe was able to get one squirrel and one fat game bird, not enough to feed the tribe but better than I could provide!  We drove to the lake to watch the sun set and then went to our lodge.

Day 10 was spent in the Tarangire National Park.  This is where they have the famous Raffiki Tree or bao bab tree (from Loin King).  There were also tons of different bird species to add to Nika’s game list.  The best part of Tarangire was that we got to see 3 different lion prides hunting Zebra.  None of the hunts ended in blood, as one would hope, but all 3 were near misses that definitely got our blood pumping.  Day 10 ended quietly, as we were tired from so much safari, and we are looking forward to 9 days of beach fun in Zanzibar, Tanzania, just a short plane ride away.

Zanzibar was a wonderful, restful and absolutely beautiful Island getaway.  We managed to rest a couple of days and found a full day snorkeling trip to Mnemba atoll and 2 days diving the reefs to occupy some of our time.  We also took a day tour of the famous Stone Town and it’s markets.  Take out some transportation time and this leaves us 3 days rest on the beach and in the hammocks in and around the resort.  We played some games and went for sunset walks along the beach, and even found our way to the pool once or twice.  In all we managed to log in 15 dives as a family, sleep in past 8am several days, and do absolutely nothing only one of the days.  Compared to our busy schedule of the last 6 months this was a welcome break.  It felt like a vacation not a journey.  Like all good things they must end, and so we flew into Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania for an overnight stay, before flying off to Livingston, Zambia and the “Smoke that thunders” Victoria Falls.  As many things we have come to expect while traveling, missing our flight was not one of them.  We keep an itinerary book, hand written, that tracks hotel reservations, airline flights and airport to hotel transfers.  Some how, when reading the printout for our flight, I gave Tristi the wrong flight time, from the connecting flight on the following day.  Most of our tickets were booked as single flights but this one, included the flight from Dar Es Salaam to Johannesburg, one-day layover (yes one day, these flights only happen once a day if you are holding your tongue just right) then to Victoria Falls, and back to Joberg and same day to Cape Town.  So we missed our flight to Joberg, that morning, (The plane was at the gate when we arrived, but customs, visa exit stamps, departure taxes to be paid, ticketing, baggage check, security screening, and the usual “I’m hungry” call from the kids, had to take place prior to boarding.  Needless to say we were SOL.  I went upstairs to check with South African Airlines to see if I could use our tickets for the following flight, same time tomorrow, same flight number.  The flights for the next two days were fully booked, but we could try to get 5 passengers on with standby status.  The gal that was helping me was very nice but offered little assurance of getting to Joberg anytime soon.  I contemplated purchasing hard tickets for the next available flight (three days later) but instead decided to take my chances.  We would have to pay for new tickets either way but our schedule that was already tight was now in panic mode.  If we chose to stay for three days we would miss Vic Falls (#3 of the worlds 7 natural wonders) but it is not up to us it is by the mercy of the airline gods, whether or not we would be denied the pleasures of the falls.  We headed back out with all of our luggage (10 large backpacks) and got a taxi back to the hotel we stayed at the night before, to see if they could give us another night.  That worked out, thankfully, and so Tristi and I walked back to the airport, the only place for miles that had any Internet, so we could re book our overnight layover in Johannesburg, and our 3 nights in Vic falls that just became 2, if we are lucky.  We got to the airport, tried two different Internet café’s, both of which were down, and also tried to hitch a ride on some airlines wi-fi signals also without luck.  We did have a phone number for the hotel in Joberg and called them, so they would not go to the airport and pick us up, as it is $45 one way.  I don’t believe I’ve told you before, but every thing in Africa is expensive.  While we were sitting there in the airport (actually outside in the airport, most of the airport, including waiting areas, and boarding ramps are outside) without internet we were thinking, what the hell do we need internet for anyhow, it’s not like we know when we will arrive in any of the places, and so who cares about stinking internet anyway.  We laughed (instead of crying) bought some more phone minuets, so we could check in with our families, and walked back to the hotel, where we left the kids behind.

5:25am comes very quickly, this is when we arrived at the airport, and checked in with the airline to see about standby status.  There were already 20 people ahead of us in line for check in, and finally at 6:15 I got up to the front to see what our chances were.  After much confusion, they told me to step aside and let them check in all of the other passengers, which were out the door by this time.  We all had a sinking feeling as we stood waiting for everyone to check in.  Nika was using the Secret to get us 5 seats on the plane, and I was somehow hoping that some family of 5 were equally late getting to the airport this morning, so we could get to go.  After most of the people were checked in I got back in line and waited my turn, at which time the man that was also in the office the prior morning, and knew our dilemma, called me over and told me that he thinks there are just exactly 5 seats open.  I quickly shelled out the cash (no credit cards accepted here) and got us checked onto the plane, with minuets to spare.  We still had to go thru all of the above-mentioned procedures, less food for the kids, and just made the plane.  We sat in different spots on the plane and had to keep our bags in our laps as there was no room in the stow away compartments.  We were just happy to be on board.  I squeezed in between a 2 gals, one with a baby (which I got to hold and play with on the flight) and the other happened to be a dive master that we dove with in Zanzibar (her parents own East African Diving).  Small world A. 

We arrive in Joberg, and are met by our driver who took us to the shuttle bus, and then ran me back in to the ticketing booth, to see if we could get on the next days flight to Vic Falls.  We did the waiting game, checked flight status, shelled out the bucks and got confirmed seats to the falls.  Funny how things work, sometimes.  We were supposed to be flying into Livingston, Zambia (as this was the preferred side, Zimbabwe’s economy collapsed and there are political issues here – No, Really?)  But the flight showed Victoria falls, Zimbabwe instead.  As it turns out, the place we tried confirming, but could not get a hold of by phone or Internet, just happened to be on the Zimbabwe side anyway.  So what, no ATM (hell, no banking system – they use USD, and also SA Rand), no Internet, no fuel, but at least the stores still have some food on the shelves (the food issue was recently resolved).  Who needs food, we were coming to see the falls!  We arrived at our hotel in Joberg (taxi cost $65, as he waited an extra hour for our ticketing fiasco) and headed across the street to the shopping mall.  Yes a mall, with real stores, something we have not seen in months.  As we walked thru the parking garage, we were surprised, BMW, BMW, BMW, Mercedes, Mercedes, Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Chevy? What?  Most of the cars were high-end luxury cars, and nearly all were new.  Lonely planet, warns us to take pre-arranged transport, never walk the streets, even in daylight watch you’re back, and so on.  WHAT?  The airport is first class, and the accommodation is high-end condo living, the mall has $100 Levi’s and mostly high-end retail, and did I mention the parking lot? So much for a scary layover in the armpit of Africa!  Will somebody check in with Lonely Planet and ask them WTF?  We prepared our own meal that night in our kitchen (we had Cesar salad, Italian bread dipped in oil and balsamic, and fresh cut fruit).  This is the first time in months that we were able to have salad and fresh fruit, as both of these are not sanitary in many of the places we have been (SE Asia, China, India, Most of Africa).  YES, I SAID MONTHS.  It was sooooo Goooood!  We are learning to appreciate the simple things in life.  Oh yea, we actually had 24-hour power in Joberg as well.

Victoria Falls

The next morning we catch our flight to Vic Falls, and grab a taxi to our Bed and Breakfast that we never were able to confirm.  We arrive around noon, the gate is shut and we are honking and banging on the gate to see if the place was even open.  As we are getting ready to hop back into our 2 taxies and find another place, the Stewart opens the gate, Tristi goes in and I wait with the kids.  She emerges several moments later with the all clear, we have rooms, and somehow everything works.  The balance of the day was spent shopping and lounging around the pool.  In the morning the chef prepared a wonderful breakfast, and the driver took us to the entry of the falls.  We strolled the stone paths and anticipation mounted as the roar of the water grew louder and louder.  The mist from the falls was showering down upon us as we walked thru the palm-lined path.  Soon the mist grew into a rain and the thunder was roaring, still obscured by the trees, we rounded the corner and into view came the far left side of the falls.  Never have I seen so much water flowing/falling in any one spot and any one time, and this was only the left edge.  As we walked around the park, the full immensity of the falls becomes evident.  The falls seem to stretch for miles and fall endlessly into the canyon below.  There is no doubt in our minds that this truly is one of the 7 natural wonders.  We spent nearly 3 hours just checking out different viewpoints and taking video and pictures every few minuets.  This was definitely one of those family high 5 moments.  We then walked from the park to the suspension bridge linking Zimbabwe with Zambia.  We went thru border control, and made our way across the bridge into Zambia.  We hung out on the bridge and watched the great Zambezi river flow far below, hung out and talked with the locals, as tourists were doing the bungee off the bridge.  We soon left as we had an appointment to get our fill of adrenalin as well.  The kids had scheduled three activities in the gorge that afternoon.  We hopped in the van and headed to the horseshoe bend area of the Zambezi. Where there were cables slung from Zimbabwe to Zambia.  First the kids did the Flying fox, a harness strapped to a cable and pulley where you run off the end of the cliff and Sail across the gorge and back again.  Next on the list of near suicidal acts was the zip line, where you drop off the edge of the cliff and reach speeds of 100 to 120 KMH as you are zinging across the gorge.  The third and final piece of body and mind torture was the bungee swing.  Unlike a bungee jump, this one combines vertical drop (freefall) with pendulum momentum, like a huge swing, the fear of a bungee with added forces on the body, pretty cool.  Sara dropped into the canyon using a handstand/flip approach; whereas Nika did the backward flip headfirst approach.  Sara screamed her brains out, while Nika was cool, calm and collected.  Both enjoyed the adrenalin junkies’ tour and wanted to repeat but the sun was getting ready to set and the crew wanted to go home.  We were especially proud of Noah for doing the flying fox, even he was bummed that there were no repeats that evening. 

The following morning we boarded a plane Back to Joburg and then on to Cape town, South Africa.  We picked up our rental car at the airport and while we were there, we picked up a GPS unit and a SA Sim chip for our phone.  It is interesting to note that the Car rental company (Thrifty) did not have GPS and we had to rent it from a cell phone company in the airport separately.  In any case our travels from Vic Falls to Cape Town Took all day (over 12 hours) and by time we got to our B&B we were wiped out.  We managed to waste the better part of the day sleeping in and eating, before setting out to see the city.  We went down to the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, which is an African version of the wharf in San Francisco, Ca.  When you think of Africa, The Lion King and the Savanna pop into your mind or possibly the Masai Tribal people dressed in animal skins.  Wrong Again… This is a modern city, filled with all of the finest shops, restaurants and amenities you can imagine.  Oh, did I mention Debars Diamonds.  One might think that while you are in South Africa (the diamond capital of the world) you would be able to pick up some great diamonds at a reasonable price.  What we found from our survey is that they were approximately twice as much as the US retail market but this was the first time I was able to find colored diamonds (at astronomical prices) anywhere.  Now we weren’t on a buying spree but the curiosity was nagging at me.  Several shops later we had found our answers.  Aside from shopping and eating, we walked along the piers and managed to spot a seal swimming among the barges in the wharf.  After watching this guy for some time, we headed to the Marine aquarium and spent 3 wonderful hours, looking at their many displays including the penguins.  The following day we drove south to a penguin rookery and sanctuary in route to the Cape of Good Hope.  It was really cool to see the Jackass Penguins so healthy and in such large numbers, enjoying the beach and it seemed as if they enjoyed our family visiting them as well (at least they didn’t mind). 

Now our visit to the Cape of Good Hope nature preserve was all about adding another first for our family.  This is on the southern most tip of Africa (there is one place even further south, more on that in a second) and is the place where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.  On many days you can see distinct color variations between the two oceans, depending on tidal conditions and sun angle.  We were there late afternoon (around time for sunset) so the sparkle of the sunlight and the not so perfect tides, denied us of the clearly divisible line between the two.  We tried very hard to make them look different, without avail, however the two different oceans do tend to collide due to the opposing currents and big temperature differences.  We could actually see the waves crashing into each other perpendicular to the shoreline in one area (I think where the shelf comes up, but need to look this up) and that was enough to convince me this was the place where two seas meet.  We climbed to the top of the rocky cliff where the lighthouse stands, looked out over the two oceans, False Bay, and the setting sun, and for just one moment I felt as if I were floating above myself as I took in a deep breath of cool sea air. The park was closing so we had to race to the exit before they locked the gates on us.

Don Leino takes the bait! 

The highlight of the SA trip had to be the cage dive with the Great White sharks.  Our guide for the day was Mike the Shark man.  He has been on Animal Planet and shark week Discovery Channel, BBC, and a host of others.  Mike is the crazy bastard who free dives with these guys and he is just amazing.  He has such a sense for these creatures, and has studied them for so long that he knows where they are based on weather and time of day, and can find them every time.  We headed out to sea about 20 minuets or so and soon we were in the fish.  The crew lowered the cage into the water close to where mike had spotted a white breach the water.  We then circled the cage in a 50 meter or so birth and set the plastic seal in the water about 15 to 20 meters behind the boat.  Within minuets we had a full breach hit on the seal.  This huge white shot from the water holding the plastic seal in its powerful toothy jaws.  The sound of the teeth hitting the mannequin was sharp and loud!  BAM!  Several minuets later we had another breach.  Again… BAM!  And just for show we had a third hit by yet another shark.  This was shaping up to be a spectacular day!  We suited up and got ready to drop into the cage.  The Danish team got first dibs at the cage.  The crew chummed the water and set the tuna head out for bait.  Within minuets we had sharks checking us out.  The Danish team got about 20 to 25 minuets in the cage, a pretty long time, considering I heard that the average cage dive lasts between 7 and 14 minuets.  Next was the Cohen family and a wonderful lady from northern cal who was in constant competition with her son to do the craziest stuff.  Later that day she gave me her card, which announced her name and simply gave her title as Adventurer.  She was one of the coolest ladies I have ever met!  GO GIRL!  Back to the dive.  I hung close to mike and found the best spot in the cage to be for the close calls and best pics.  He got me in and started chumming the water like mad.  We got to stay in for 20 minuets and then he pulled a people switch.  He let me stay in and told the others I was filming!  Sweet!  Thanks Mike!  The balance of the morning he kept switching people in and out so every one got a turn and some got 2.  He left me in the entire time!  The crew was really working the chum and the bait hard.  The best one was when they were trying to pull the tuna head back in on the rope and a white took hold, thrashing back and forth hitting the cage and the shark actually touched me!!  I really wanted to reach out and touch one, and this cured me.  By the way, they have a similar feel to catfish or dolphin if you have had the chance to experience either (not scaly).  One minute they are docile silent creatures gliding thru the water, the next, very excited when feeding.  Well he took the tuna head right off the rope, and while the crew was preparing another chunk of bait we changed our shorts!  In all honesty, these fish are very majestic animals, and having been able to observe them for over and hour, I feel I better understand them, and how they hunt.  I hope someday to come back and get a chance to dive with them and Mike outside the cage, when South Africa allows.  Currently, open water shark dives are prohibited, even by permit, and Mike has more dives with them than any other researcher by a long shot.       

Mike and the crew pulled us from the water and then hoisted the cage on to the back of the boat.  He took us out to a small island covered in fur seals.  There is an estimated 50 to 60,000 seals on this island, and boy did it smell like it.  This is where the seals have their young and teach them to swim.  The fur seal is the Great White’s favorite meal, and after watching them swim thru the water and seeing the shark hitting them so hard as they did our plastic one, I can see why people can be miss taken as a seal.  Black wetsuit = fur seal.  This is why surfers are hit, moving thru water looking like a seal is not a good thing.  Most surfers are spit right back out though as this is not an intended food.  Ouch!  We finished our day with a short drive up the coast, following Mike and one of his friends, to a quiet little bay, where southern right whales are known to come close to shore.  As we pulled up Mike spotted a spout in the distance, and we watched as Mike checked other lookout points along the bay.  He came back and said this was the best spot.  He left us to watch the whales as they headed off to grab a beer or two and watch the sun set over the bay.  We stayed there for over an hour and were able to spot 3 whales, one of which came in close to shore and followed the shore line for about 15 minuets.  It was an amazing day!  As a side note the coastal route passes by the southern most tip of Africa, a point hardly recognized by anyone.

Next stop…. The Middle East!

Sud Africa

VIAGGIO IN SUD AFRICA E CASCATE VICTORIA (ZIMBABWE)

Periodo: Fine luglio inizio agosto (due settimane)
Tappe: Cairo (scalo), Johannesburg, Parco privato di Lion & Rhino (Johannesburg), Sterkfontein Caves (Johannesburg), Safari nel parco privato di Balule (Zona Kruger), Safari nel parco nazionale di Kruger, Blyde River Canyon, Cascate Victoria e fiume Zambezi (Zimbabwe), Cape Town, Capo di buona speranza, Hermanus, Knysna, Port Elizabeth.

Partiamo per il Sud Africa a fine luglio. Per me è il primo viaggio nel continente nero. La scelta è ricaduta sul Sud Africa, sopratutto perchè come primo viaggio ho preferito un paese che dal punto di vista turistico permettesse una certa facilita di spostamenti e organizzazione “fai da te”. Il viaggio è stato interamente organizzato su internet tra blog e forum per ricercare consigli sulle mete e siti di ostelli e compagnie aeree per il pernottamento e gli spostamenti. Alla fine a conti fatti è stato un bel risparmio. Non abbiamo elemosinato sul safari, sul quale invece ci siamo affidati ad un’agenzia locale (VivaSafari) che ci ha proposto un pacchetto tutto incluso tuttosommato ad un buon prezzo (circa 600€ a testa per 4 giorni). Il prezzo per il safari include anche il trasporto da e verso Johannesburg (circa 500 Km).

Il volo parte da Roma ed è previsto uno scalo a Cairo (Air Egypt), per poi proseguire verso Johannesburg con un volo verso le 2 di notte. Non esistono voli diretti dall’italia e i prezzi variano anche molto tra le compagnie. Il volo con scalo al Cairo, paradossalmente anche se in linea d’area risulta il più breve, per via dello scalo di 8 ore (!!) risulta il più lungo, ma è di gran lunga il volo più economico. Arrivati a Cairo dopo un viaggio tranquillo, abbiamo la piacevole scoperta che la compagnia aerea offre gratuitamente una visita notturna alle piramidi e una cena! Un gran sollievo quando ormai mi stavo rassegnando all’idea di stendermi in un angolino dell’aereoporto a contare i minuti… La visita alle piramidi è un po deludente. L’ingresso è chiuso e le piramidi si possono intravedere solo da lontano. Le piramidi vengono illuminate per un certo periodo di tempo in un gioco di luci e musica. Carino ma niente di più.

Cairo - Piramidi viste di notte

La cena viene servita in un locale di un quartiere turistico della città, in quella che la guida definisce un quartiere per i giovani “benestanti”. In effetti si nota molto il divario tra le zone attraversate e quella in cui finiamo per mangiare. Facciamo la piacevole conoscenza di una coppia di italiani in viaggio di nozze decisamente più avventurosi e esperti del continenete nero. Il loro viaggio infatti attraversa il vero cuore del continente a bordo in un 4×4 con tanto di tenda. Un viaggio sicuramente affascinante e decisamente inconsueto rispetto ai classici viaggi tutto relax dei viaggi di nozze… Gli ammiro molto per la loro scelta.

Il viaggio prosegue fino a Johannesburg senza intoppi, anche se fatichiamo a dormire non so se per l’emozione o per i sedili per me un po stretti… Arriviamo in mattina all’aereoporto, dove dopo un breve stop a cambiare un po di soldi in Rand, la valuta locale, usciamo ad aspettare l’autista per il viaggio verso l’ostello, il “Purple Pulms”. Il clima è decisamente “freddo”. Ci saranno a dire tanto 10 gradi anche splende il sole. L’autista ci dice che siamo fortunati e che le temperature inverali sud africane solitamente sono peggiori… L’ostello si trova nelle vicinanze dell’aereoporto, in una zona definita “tranquilla” rispetto alla città ritenuta decisamente pericolosa e non cosigliata ai turisti. La camera doppia con bagno è carina ma fredda. Accendo subito la stufa elettrica presente nella stanza, ma purtroppo senza ottenere grossi miglioramenti. Per 35 euro in due non si può pretendere molto di più… Passiamo dormendo tutto il resto della giornata, con eccezione di una veloce spesa al supermercato per acquistare un minimo di alimenti per la cena da prepare nella cucina dell’ostello.

Il secondo giorno decidiamo di passarlo a visitare le grotte di Sterkfontein e per un veloce safari in un parco privato, il tutto prenotando un tour tramite l’ostello. La visita alle grotte è interessante, ma lo è molto di più il safari successivo al parco “Rhino & Lion”. Non è un vero è proprio parco dove gli animali sono liberi. Qui purtroppo gli animali sono controllati e vengono sfamati dallo staff del parco in zone separate tra i predatori (leoni, iene, gheopardi etc) e gli erbivori (rino, gnu, impala…). Siamo fortunati nell’assistere al momento del “pasto” dei leoni bianchi, una razza rara di leone. Un animale splendido che incute non poco timore (Chi si ricorda “Kimba, il leone bianco”  ? .

Il pasto dei leoni bianchi

Il leone bianco non si trova facilemente in natura. Non è una versione albina dei leoni, ma una specie particolare di leone che è stata ottenuta a seguito di particolari selezioni negli zoo di vari paesi. I leoni di questa specie fanno maggiore fatica a sopravvivere in natura perchè il loro manto bianco lo rendono meno ‘invisibile’ nella savana e sono prede favorite dei cacciatori di frodo. Questo è uno dei motivi per cui lo si trova solo in riserve private.

La parte più emozionante la passiamo però con i cuccioli di leone, in una zona del parco in cui è consentito per pochi minuti a testa, l’incontro ravvicinato con questi splendidi animali. Accarezzare un cucciolo di leone è emozionante e si prova un misto di tenerezza e allo stesso tempo timore. Nonostante le dimensioni da cucciolo infatti una zampata data per gioco può sempre far male…

Un tenero cucciolo di leone, lo voglio portare a casa!!!

Il terzo giorno veniamo prelevati dallo staff di Vivasafari per iniziare il nostro vero safari africano. Il viaggio sembra non finire mai, per arrivare alle porte del parco nazionale di Kruger ci voglino ore di viaggio (almeno 5-6 se non ricordo male). Il tragitto è però una buona occasione per scoprire un pò di paesaggi. Il tragitto ci porta attraverso colline dai colori marroni con sfumature di rosso (colori che ricordano la bandiera del sud africa), accampamenti di baracche (alcune grandi come vere città…) e zone brulle di vegetazioni. Avvistiamo in lontanza numerosi incendi, che ci dicono normali in questo periodo dell’anno dove piove poco. Le strade sono in buone condizioni e notiamo numerosi posti di blocco della polizia intenti a multare. Un’altra cosa che noto è la presenza un pò ovunque del cartello di divieto di sosta (una S barrata). Un cartello che fa capire come in questo paese sia addirittura poco raccomandabile fermarsi sul ciglio della strada magari per una telefonata…

In serata arriviamo al lodge, dove dopo un breve sosta per depositare i bagagli partiamo subito per un safari pomeridiano. Ci dicono che siamo fortunati, un elefante è rimasto da poco ucciso in un combattiemento con un suo simile. Un evento simile attira tutta una serie di altri predatori, sopratutto di leoni, che in circostanze normali non sono facili da avvistare. Effettivamente siamo fortunati e oltre ai leoni adulti avvistiamo una numerosa cucciolata che ci attraversa la strada. E’ decisamente un’altra emozione vedere i leoni nel loro habitat naturale che non in qualchè gabbia…

Cucciolo di leone ai bordi della strada

Il secondo giorno di safari si svolge sempre nei ditorni del lodge (che si trova nel parco privato di Balule). La mattina mezz’ora prima dell’alba, come degli zombi partiamo per un’altro emozionante safati. L’aria è decisamente fredda, ma almeno ci aiuta a svegliarci meglio… Vediamo nuovamente i leoni, che non stancano mai, ogni volta è un emozione. Una leonessa improvvisamente sbuca dalla radura e passa a un metro di distanza dalla 4×4 e si ferma a guardarci. Impietrito inizia a battermi il cuore all’impazzata, ma la leonessa perde subito interesse verso di noi e dopo poco prosegue il suo cammino e si appisola dall’altra parte della strada. Nel pomeriggio facciamo una passeggiata nella savana con la guida munita di fucile. Ci mostra le piante del posto, le orme dei vari animali e anche alcune feci di animali. Quelle delle giraffe è incredibile, chi l’avrebbe detto che un animale così rande fa tanti piccoli pallini come un coniglio… la guida se ne mette una in bocca e la mastica quasi con gusto. Per un po mi passa l’appetito… Avvistiamo zebre, numerosi impala, gnu e una coppia di giraffe con tanto di cucciolo. Niente leoni, ma a piedi invece che in fuoristrada è meglio così…

Le zebre sono bianche con le strisce nere o nere con le strisce bianche?

La giraffa si mette in posa per la foto

Il parco nazionale di Kruger è la metà del terzo giorno di safari. Questo parco immenso è ovviamente troppo grande da visitare tutto in un giorno solo, e il tour si limita alla parte centrale. Siamo fortunati e riusciamo ad avvistare tutti i “Big Five”, ossia gli animali considerati i più importanti tra cui il bufalo, il leone, il leopardo, il gheopardo e il rinoceronte. L’incontro più emozionante l’abbiamo proprio alla fine. Riusciamo infatti ad avvistare una coppia di leopardi appollaiati su un albero. Il leopardo è uno degli animali più difficili da avvistare, non solo per lo scarso numero di esemplari presenti ma anche perchè caccia in prevalenza di notte ed è un animale “timido” difficilmente avvistabile. Assistiamo a un tentativo di accoppiamento. La femmina dopo aver prima girato intorno al maschio come in una danza di adescamento, al tentativo di quest’ultimo di accoppiarsi, si rigira con e con una zampata lo allontana. Poverino…

Leopardi in azione

Il quarto e ultimo giorno rinunciamo al safari mattutino per riposarci. Alle 8 inizia il rientro a Johannesburg.

Tremisana Lodge

Al ritorno passiamo per il Blyde River Canyon, il terzo canyon più grande al mondo. Veramente bello (e anche il primo canyon che vedo). Sicuramente valeva la visita. Il percorso verso Johanneburg sembra interminabile e arriviamo all’ostello (sempre il Purple Pulm) solo verso le otto di sera. Una cena veloce a base di pizza e corriamo a dormire per il viaggio di domani.

Blyde River Canyon

Siamo arrivati ad una settimana dal nostro arrivo. Lasciati l’ostello arriviamo all’areoporto in mattinata per prendere l’aereo per le cascate Victoria. Purtroppo incontriamo un problema imprevisto di non poco conto. Siamo ormai quasi senza soldi, ma nessun bancomat sembra funzionare, il tutto a ormai pochi minuti dal nostro volo!! andare nello Zimbabwe senza soldi non è proprio raccomandabile visto i gravi problemi di valuta del paese (il paese ha avuto un’inflazione tale che ha di fatto azzerato il valore della moneta locale, soppiantata dai dollari americani). Dopo numerosi tentativi, corse e disperati tentativi di risolvere il problema, riusciamo a prelavare dei soldi da una banca utilizzando la carta di credito. Arriviamo con un ritardo incredibile a gate, ma per fortuna non perdiamo il volo (che fortuna vuole era comunque in ritardo). Che stress…

Arriviamo all’aeroporto delle Victoria Falls nel primo pomeriggio, dove abbiamo organizzato un trasferimento in taxi (in realtà un pulmino locale) verso forse l’unico ostello presente nella zona, lo “Shoestring Backpackers”. Sinceramente non sapevo cosa aspettarmi da questo ostello, ne le condizioni di sicurezza che avremmo trovato in questa zona, dopo aver letto commenti incoraggianti dalle persone che ci erano state ma anche dalle notizie inquietanti della farnesina che sconsigliavano i viaggi nello Zimbabwe per via della situazione politica. Dopo poco però ci si rende conto che le notizie della farnesina sono decisamente esaggerate. La zona della cascate nello Zimbabwe sono decisamente più povere, ma la gente, anche se povera e disagiata è incredibilmente cordiale. L’ostello, gestita da una australiana, è un posto decisamente ospitale, dall’ambientazione con forte influenza “rasta” (basta notare la gente che ci lavora…).

La camera non offre grandi confort (come comunque qualunque ostello). Il letto è comodo, il bagno, anche se all’apparenza un pò fatiscente, lo abbiamo trovato pulito e la doccia era con acqua calda (cosa da non dare per scontato negli ostelli africani). Per circa 30€ a camera doppia non ci si può lamentare. Sempre nell’ostello è possile mangiare e fare colazione a prezzi onesti, considerato che quasi tutto viene importato dallo Zambia (una pizza circa 8€, una birra 1€). Nel paese, tutto va pagato ormai in dollari americani, dato che per la forta inflazione la valuta locale ormai non ha nessun valore, ma in genere nessuno fa problemi se pagate in euro o in rand sud africani (noi abbiamo pagato con entrambi).

Su internet avevo letto che alcuni si lamentavano delle poche attività proposte in zona. In realtà invece le attività disponibili sono diverse. Si può praticare rafting, escursioni a dorso di elefanti, safari, voli in elicottero sopra le cascate etc… Noi data l’ora optiamo per una crociera al tramonto sul fiume Zambezi. La crociera è decisamente piacevole. Ci impomatiamo a dovere per le zanzare (meno numerose d’inverno ma sempre presenti) e ci godiamo la vista del fiume dove incontriamo numerosi ippopotami e coccodrilli, più un diverso numero di uccelli delle razze più svariate. Il tramonto sul fiume è notevole. Torniamo all’ostello decisamente di buon umore (complice forse anche la birra servita gratuitamente durante la crociera). Mangiamo una pizza senza infamia e senza lode all’aperto all’interno dell’ostello. Dimenticavo di dire che la sera l’ostello diventa anche una specie di disco pub frequentato dai locali. La musica non è molto alta e non disturba (almeno dove eravamo noi).

Zambezi al tramonto

L’indomani visitamo finamente le cascate. Un’esperienza indimenticabile. Alle cascate arriviamo a piedi in 15 minuti. Numerosi venditori ambulanti ci accompagnano durante il tragitto, ma nessuno risulta troppo invasivo o pericoloso. Per strada incontriamo dei babuini che sembrano molto più minacciosi… In strada assistiamo a una scenza esilerante di una donna con un cesto di testa inseguita da un babuino. Una pietra lanciata (senza colpire) da una poliziotta pone fine all’inseguimento tra le risate dei passanti. L’ingresso alle cascate ci costa circa una ventina di euro a testa. Uno dei motivi per cui ho scelto il lato delle cascate dello Zimbabwe era per la vista decisamente più ampia rispetto a quella presente nello Zambia. Non rimaniamo delusi. La vista della cascate è indimenticabile. Nonostante sia il periodo secco, le cascate sono comunque imponenti, maestose. Un sentiero costeggia le cascate. I turisti sono pochi, il che rende l’esperienza ancora più piacevole. Incrociamo una scolaresca di bambini in visita alle cascate. Alcuni bambini ci guardano incuriositi, probabilmente non tutti sono abituati alla vista di bianchi. Molti ci salutano sorridendo. Percorriamo i circa 2 km di percorso con in tutta tranquillità in quasi tre ore. Una vista simile va assoporata con tutta calma.

Unico momento “pericoloso” (si fa per dire) è un litigio con alcune scimmiette locali che ci avevano presi di mira e che hanno provato ad attaccarci (!!). Incredibile dire che degli animaletti piccoli si e no un metro possano provare ad assalire le persone… La “rissa” si è risolta fendendo qualchè calcio all’aria (tra gli sguardi divertiti dei passanti). Una guida del posto ci dice che gli animali possono provare ad assalire le persone se notano del cibo o altri oggetti interessanti. E io che mi preoccupavo dei ladri, qui il vero pericolo sono le scimmie…

Un angolo delle cascate Victoria

Non fatevi interire da queste scimmie, sono tuttaltro che innocenti!!

Tornati dalle cascate, dopo un breve riposo, partiamo per una passeggiata organizzata niente di meno che in compagnia dei leoni. Arriviamo in un centro di recupero per leoni. Lo scopo nobile del centro è quello di reintrodurre questi animali dopo che ormai la loro quasi scomparsa dal territorio dovuta dalla presenza umana. I leoni vengono allevati da cuccioli e abituati gradualmente nel corso dei mesi alla sopravvivenza autonoma nella zona. La passeggiata consiste nel passeggiare nella savana in compagnia di una coppia di giovani leonesse, il tutto con la presenza massiva di personale che controlla ogni passo degli animali. Ci vengono impartite tutta una serie di avvertimenti su cosa è vietato fare, tra cui non accarezzare i leoni sulla testa, non stare di fronte ai leoni ma solo dietro durante la passeggiata, non urlare, non correrre e così via… La passeggiata è emozionante. Ci permettono di accarezzare schiena e dorso delle leonesse, le quali sembrano comunque rilassate e tranquille. Il tutto dura un paio di ore buone. La serata si conclude come fotocopia della precendente: pizza, doccia e nanna.

Passeggiata in compagnia dei leoni

Il giorno dopo torniamo a Johannesburg. Di tutto il viaggio sicuramente la visita alle cascate è stata la più emozionante. La situazione politica ed economica dello Zimabawe è critica, anche se va man mano migliorando. E’ un vero peccato per un paese così stupendo, ricco di potenzialità. In molti si lasciano spaventare dal visitare le cascate in questo paese, e io per primo sono stato esitante fino all’ultimo. Ora sono veramente contento di aver fatto quest’esperienza. Non solo visitando le cascate dalla parte dello Zimbabwe avrete una vista unica di questa meraviglia, ma darete anche un contributo a questo paesse che ha bisogno di tutto l’aiuto possibile per risollevarsi. La situazione politica rimane un problema ‘politico’ e non per il turismo. Basta pensare che una dei maggiori tour operator low cost, livingstone, che organizza viaggi dal sud africa in pulman fino alle cascate, preferisce lo Zimbabwe che ritiene più sicura perchè meno turistica rispetto al lato dello Zambia dove a loro detta si sono verificati maggiori episodi di furti.

All’aereoporto di Johannesburg prendiamo la coincidenza verso Cape Town, dove inzia la parte finale del nostro viaggio. Arriviamo di notte all’ostello “Backpack & Africa Travel Centre” che si trova vicino al centro. L’ostello offre veramente di tutto. Difficile definirlo un semplice ostello. Le camere doppie per arredamento sembrano camere di albergo a 3 stelle, anche se ho trovato fastidioso l’assenza di finestra verso l’esterno (ne era presente una verso il corridoio interno dell’ostello), e la doccia, dove abbiamo avuto problemi con l’acqua calda (risolto con l’intervento dello staff).

L’indomani prenotiamo una macchina per il giorno seguente e compriamo dei biglietti per il bus turistico che attraversa la città e che porta fino alla funivia delle Table mountains. Facciamo i classici turisti che a bordo del bus contemplano con aria sonnecchiante la città. Cape town è carina ma nulla di esaltante. Bella invece la spiaggia e il lungomare. Arrivati alle table mountains, iniziamo un breve trek sulla montagna (la funivia era guasta), senza arrivare in cima per motivi di tempo (il trek dura circa 4 ore tra andata e ritorno). Ci fermiamo a metà dove comunque si gode di una buona vista e ci rilassiamo un po.

Vista dalle table mountais

Il giorno seguente, dopo qualchè difficoltà con la macchina (abbiamo dovuto aspettare fino alle 12) partiamo in direzione del capo di buona speranza, il punto in cui si dividono l’ocenao pacifico e l’oceano indiano. Il primo impatto con la guida a sinistra non è poi così sconvolgente come temevo. Guido con attenzione e grazie al navigatore mi concentro meglio sulla guida.

Raggiungiamo capo di buona speranza in poco meno di due ore. La riserva è veramente bella. Una scogliera a picco sul mare da cui si ammira un bel paesaggio marino. Purtroppo non riesco ad avvistare ne pinguini ne balene, cosa che speravo di vedere durante il viaggio.

Dopo una sosta e un veloce pranzo ripartiamo in direzione di Hermanus, dove arriviamo in serata. L’ostello che avevo prenotato, a causa di un malinteso, non aveva più camere doppie disponibili (ricordarsi sempre di chiamre prima per conferma per evitare piacevoli sorprese…). Molto cortesemente ci dirigono però in un’altro ostello dall’altro lato della strada, più costoso ma la differenza si offrono di pagarla loro (e vorrei vedere…). La stanza dell’ostello è decisamente carina, oserei dire la migliore in cui abbiamo alloggiato. Un simpatica anziana signora ci accoglie con tutte cortesia, e ci indica un locale dove andare a cenare vicino al porto del paese. Ci consiglia anche di evitare di andare a fare escursioni di avvistamente di balene perchè ormai i mammiferi erano ormai lontani da Hermannus e lei stessa aveva passato la mattinata senza vederne uno. Seguiamo a malincuore il consiglio, pensare che ero venuto in questa posto proprio perchè indicato come il migliore per gli avvistamenti delle balene…

Partiamo con calma in mattinata inoltrata. Decidiamo di guidare fino a Knysa, famosa località su una laguna. Il viaggio è lungo ma il percorso è piacevole. Decidiamo di provare un ostello consigliato su una guida trovata il giorno prima. Fatichiamo un po per trovarlo ma scopriamo un piccolo paradiso. In una costa protetta, a ridosso sul mare, un ostello che dall’aspetto sembra un ritrovo per surfisti, ma dove gli unici ospiti siamo noi! le camere sono senza serratura, senza bagno e senza riscaldamento. Non certo un posto per tutti… I gestori mi assicurano che il posto è tranquillissimo, ma certo che dopo gli “ostelli fortezza” visti finora questo posto in quanto a protezione sicuramente lascia spiazzati chi ci arriva… Decido però di fidarmi. Il contesto in cui si trova vale la pena il rischio. Lasciamo i bagagli in camera e ci avviamo per una bella passeggiata sulla spiaggia. Le distese di sabbia della costa sembrano infinite, il mare mosso sulla scogliera e montagne in lontanza, un paradiso! Il calar del sole ci regala il miglior tramonto di tutto il viaggio.

THE BEAUTY OF BUFFEL`S BAY

La notte passa velocemente. Tutte le preoccupazioni che avevo per la macchina lasciata incostudita nel parcheggio e la camera senza serratura si dissolvono in un sonno improvviso. L’indomani è tutto in ordine. La macchina e i bagagli sono al loro posto. Veniamo svegliati da un grattare di porta (attimo di tensione…). Apro la porta e due cagnolini simili a bassotti saltano sul letto e si appisolano come se fossero a casa loro… Dopo un po andiamo a fare colazione (cani a seguito…). Ripartiamo con calma, lasciandoci con tristezza questo piccolo paradiso e ci dirigiamo verso l’ultima tappa del viaggio Port Elizabeth. Arriviamo in città nel pomeriggio. La cittadina però non ci entusiasma. Alloggiamo in un ostello vicino al lungomare, dove dedichiamo le ultime ore a una passeggiata sulla spiaggia. L’atmosfera però non è la stessa del giorno prima…

E’ il giorno della partenza. Due settimane sono volate… Prima di andare in aereoporto facciamo un breve viaggio in macchina lungo la costa e ci fermiamo alle porte della città, davanti ad una bella spiaggia, a salutare per un’ultima volta questo paese. Tra safari, le cascate e questo splendido mare ci porteremo dei bei ricordi con noi ai quali speriamo di dare presto un seguito…

VIDEO:

Lion & Rhino Reserve

Blyde River Canyon

Kruger Park

Victoria Falls

Lion Walk


Zambezi river boat cruise

Cape Town & Table mountains

Cape of good hope


Knysna – Buffel Bay

CONSIGLI DI VIAGGIO PER VIAGGI “FAI DA TE” IN SUD AFRICA:

- Affittate un telefono con una sim locale per le chiamate (o solo la sim se possibile). Costa sicuramente meno che mandare sms (circa 1€ l’uno) per non parlare delle telefonate…
- Gli ostelli sono mediamente buoni e le camere doppie economiche. Chiamate se possibile li giorno prima e assicuratevi che si disponibile quello avete effettivamente prenotato
- Molte attività sono prenotabili direttamente in ostello.
- Affittare una macchina per girare il paese conviene. Attenti ai controlli di velocità, numerosi e presenti specialmente in vicinanza dei centri abitati.
-  Il parco di Kruger è immenso. Per risparmiare il più possibile il consiglio è quello di arrivare in macchina (le strade sono asfaltate anche in molti tratti del parco), affittare un bungalow o una tenda e affidarsi alle attività di visità presenti nel parco. Secondo me un paio di giorni bastano per vedere i principali animali del parco.
- I parchi privati non sono male. Solitamente nei parchi privati i ranger hanno più libertà che non nei parchi nazionali, come ad esempio fare dei fuoripista per vedere meglio gli animali. Inoltre nei parchi privati solitamente è più facile avvistare gli animali che non nei parchi nazionali.
- Il periodo migliore per il safari è l’inverno africano (la nostra estate). La vegetazione è più rara e ciò consente di avvistare più facilmente gli animali. In estate il clima è umido, fa caldo, l’erba è alta e piove spesso.
- Evitate Johannesburg, a detta di molti decisamente pericolosa per i turisti. La situazione sembra essere migliorata ultimamente, specie in centro dove hanno installato delle telecamere di sicurezza, ma credo che comunque non valga la pena.
- Portatevi qualche vestito invernale, la parte a nord è decisamente fredda (come da noi in inverno). A sud sulla costa le cose migliorano come anche nella zona delle cascate, dove le giornate sono miti (15-20° in media) e le notti fresche. La costa a sud è più soggetta a pioggie e venti in inverno.

Somethings are good enough to do more than once, to get another angle on an experience to see something deeper, to live it slightly differently. On Saturday we went back to the Old Biscuit Mill market for breakfast. Cities naturally demonstrate extreme contrasts. The market is in Woodstock stomping ground of gangs or so we hear, but fancy cars are parked behind the boom gate and people wander around openly with their cameras taking artsy photos of the flowers, food and tables made of doors. (admittedly I was one of them). Carefree.

In the Old Biscuit Mill market, surrounded by young, wealthy people hedonistically enjoying food it’s easy to forget the harsher reality of life and crime outside the security gates. We had a fantastic time, grabbing a late brunch and enjoying the return of sunshine before the ugly side of city life reminded us of reality. Going to pick up some groceries (much as I’d love to have stocked up at the Biscuit Mill, my wallet would not have forgiven me), we passed a woman who had been stabbed (well, slashed). I used to think that directors were just being dramatic when they put literal puddles of blood on the ground – a little extra gore for effect. I take it back. This woman’s sleeve was drenched, dripping claret red adding to a large pool on the pavement. The police were there, but T.I.A. (this is Africa) – blood is to be avoided at all costs – the ever present menace of HIV. So this woman sat there smoking a cigarette, waiting for an ambulance. That’ll burst your Old Biscuit Mill induced naivete.

…But not our optimism. South Africa is still and incredible place. Again a redo, I went back to St. George’s Cathedral for Sunday Eucharist. No +Desmond today, but Dean Rowan hasn’t yet left for America. On the way a man came up to me and informed be matter of factly “you’re going to have to give me your money.” T.I.A. . but news to me. He was insistent… no weapons though, I can outrun him if it comes to that. Anyway I have to get to Church, the bells beckon. “Oh well in that case pray for me”, which I did. Can’t say fairer than that.

Time for yet another redo – off to the Cape of Good Hope. again. This time by train because the tracks go parallel to the sea and who doesn’t like a pretty train ride? Very Thomas the Tank Engine. The end of the line is Simon’s Town, the C.S.S Alabama was here once during the ‘Civil’ War. The visit was immortalized in the well known song “Dar Kom de Alabama”. Quite. Here we get a ‘Riki’ taxi towards the Point. No wait – penguins. They hid from us last time, now they pose for the cameras. Success. The Cape was as beautiful as before, we picked another great day, except this time the gale-ing wind lived up to stereotype. A different angle though, the same place, new experience. We hiked to the top of Cape Point this time, unlike the previous visit, it was too windy for me to meditate at Good Hope.

Time to go back to Simon’s Town. Last train home 1855, can’t miss it. Grabbed Fish and Chips to go (a little piece of Britain, recreated wonderfully). There, on the platform, time to spare – successful day. Counting chickens before they’ve hatched? Unfortunately. Anna Claire had her bag stolen in the bathroom. Someone had followed her in and taken it while she was washing her hands. The price of hygiene. Off after the robber – darkness, winding streets, we lost him (he had a good head start). T.I.A… but it could have happened anywhere, shame on us for thinking in stereotypes. But then they go and start confirming themselves. We’ve missed the train. Back to the fish ‘n chip restaurant. Called the Riki driver, R800 back to Obs. Oh well coffee’s on the house. Just when you lose faith in people’s goodness, you get again, an awakening contrast. Nadia the waitress is awesome, she has a friend who’ll get us there for R300. Bargain – she hid us in the kitchen as the other driver turns up, we’re his cash cow, not to be let off easily… is Nadia sure we already had a lift home? Maybe he should double check. A white lie… Nadia’s friend gets us home safely. Tomorrow it’s back to work. Enough Adventure for one weekend.

“Even though I know that the live jazz I’ve been loving here is really dope, there’s nothing like having my parents reinforce that belief. Venturing to Cafe Sofia for live jazz and Asoka for some funk infusion proved to be a really great time. Also, the fact that many of the jazz musicians in Cape Town are fairly young (between 20-30) is one of those things that gives a fan of the genre hope for the future.” Naima shares more details about touring around Cape Town with her family HERE.

First things first:

Sorry about the delay of blog entries, things have been quite hectic on this side of the Atlantic. From where I left off, I had just heard that my parents were coming to visit. Yes, those responsible for my existence made the trek through the United States and across the ocean to see where I’ve been spending all my time these days. You may remember that I have a couple of Uncles in South Africa, so that proved to peak their interest in visiting even more. By now though, they’ve come and gone. In short, they has a crash course in Cape Town. The journey passed through Table Mountain, Nelson Mandela’s prison cell on Robben Island, the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa’s beautiful winelands, restaurants of all influence, and a steady flow of music. The best part of the visit for me was being able to show my parents the life I’ve had here for the last 5 months. They met some of my close friends here and we went to dinner at some of my favorites. Also, introducing them to the music scene I’ve immersed myself in was so amazing.

Even though I know that the live jazz I’ve been loving here is really dope, there’s nothing like having my parents reinforce that belief. Venturing to Cafe Sofia for live jazz and Asoka for some funk infusion proved to be a really great time. Also, the fact that many of the jazz musicians in Cape Town are fairly young (between 20-30) is one of those things that gives a fan of the genre hope for the future.

It was ultimately music, food, sightseeing, and good weather that helped for my parents to make their mark on Cape Town. Hopefully, Cape Town made an equally impressive mark. Family Reunion in Cape Town??

Peace and then some,

Naima

… ist es arschkalt!

hola compañeros,

cape town numero dos… ich hab die bilder hier aber ich kann sie net hochladen… aber krieg ich noch hin…

also erstma TEXT…

ich leb hier mein leben in obs weiter so vor mich hin… vielleicht ein grund dafuer, dass ich in letzter zeit ein wenig schreibfaul war… ich find das hier alles halt schon so normal und alltaeglich… dinge, die ich zu beginn fuer erzaehlenswert hielt gehn jetzt spurlos an mir vorbei…

aber wie koennte ich den table mountain ( ja genau, tafelberg) vergessen… nix da cable car… die jugend von heute laeuft das ding hoch… nen taxi bis zur central station und dann vonner innenstadt ab die post… ich glaub 4 stunden hats gedauert… die minibuses werden hier uebrigens taxi genannt… also passen so suedafrikanisch 15 leute oder so rein… halt wie ein vw bus bloss mit sitzen ueberall und quetsch und so… da darf man sich auch net wundern wenn man ma direkt neben der box sitzt und einem auf der anderen seite gehirn ausm ohr tropft… immer voll aufdrehn den schuppn! aber bockt!

naja wir also einfach ma losgestiefelt ohne irgendeinen plan… also ohne karte oder wie auch immer… nach dem motto: so lang wir berg auf gehen kanns ja nich sooo falsch sein… richtig… aber wenn dann die strassen irgendwann enden (das ging relativ schnelll) und die pfade die man durch tips der anwohner dann irgendwann gefunden hat auch irgendwann enden… was dann? ich als alter addo-veteran natuerlich: “BUSCH! die cape cobra gibts hier net, laeuft!” die maedels wollten dann aber doch eher nen cap (richtiges taxi) nehmen bzw. nen “echten” weg haben… hab ich dann auch nach ner weile gefunden und wir dann hoch… damit hatten wir die lower cable car station erreicht… schon einigermassen erschoepft, ich natuerlich net =) also erstma nen kaltes bier naja… wir sind dabei gebleiben den ganzen weg hochzulaufen… haben aber lediglich 2-3 paare auf dem ganzen weg getroffen bzw. gesehn die genauso doof waren wie wir =) viele sind runter gelaufen, aber wenige hoch. hat sich aber echt gelohnt… ein toller blick waehrend man da hochgewandert ist, nicht nur von der bergspitze selbst. ham dann oben erstma nen happ gegessen und den blick genossen und die ueblichen pics gemacht. war schweine kalt da oben… besonders als man dann “in” einer wolke war…cable car dann aber runter und ab nach hause… man war gut erschoepft und nur der heilige party-gott weiss warum wir dann noch feiern gegangen sind… =) alltogether: guter tag!

naechstes ding is cape point / cape of good hope…

nach den bildern die ich vorher gesehen hab war ich nen bisl enttaeuscht… ich fands schon sehr geil, aber naja… ich glaub das touri ding macht immer schon einiges kaputt… schrecklich die ganzen deutschen da rumlaufen zu sehn…aber wat willste machen…!? =) am amuesantesten sind aber die japaner oder asiaten generell… vollfuellen total ihr klischee ding mit kamera und co… foto hier foto da und ab zum naechsten spot… die triffste ueberall an.

naja whatever, wir ham uns dann aufn weg zu einem sehr huebschen strand quasi zwischen cape point und cape of good hope gemacht… der war top… (siehe bilder) wasser war aber eher kalt… muss man schon richtung ostkueste suedafrikas tingeln, um den warmen indischen ozean zu geniessen… mach ich ja noch (durban) =) anschliessend ham wir uns auch noch auf den weg zum cape of good hope gemacht, also den bergen bzw. felsen die dort ausm wasser ragen und auch noch zum fusse dieser felsen, wo dann das schild aufzufinden ist: sie befinden sich am kap der guten hoffnung, dem suedwestlichsten ort afrikas, zum glueck auf englisch, wenns auf afrikaans gewesen waer haett ichs angepisst und dann umgetreten… =)

also eine menge laufen und so, aber schoen! apropos suedwestlichster ort afrikas… auf meinem plan steht natuerlich auch noch cape agulhas, welches der suedlichste punkt afrikas is… und robben island muss ich auch noch machen: die insel vor kapstadt auf welcher mandela (ich glaub) 18 jahre in haft gesessen hat… interessant!

und dann kann ich noch eine kleine anekdote zu der winetour zum besten geben, welche ich jetzt ueber ostern gemacht hab… sonntag um genau zu sein:

ham uns hier in obs bei dem mcdo mit einem taxi (minbus) fahrer, welchen ich kennengelernt hab, getroffen und sind dann mit 8 mann in seinem auto nach stellenbosch… das is DER weinort hier, ca. 45 minuten ausserhalb von cape town. wir waren letztendlich bei 3 weinguetern und wir waren auch alle gut voll… die flaschen wein, die wir uns gekauft haben wurden dann auf dem heimweg gekoepft… fertige tour! aber geiler makka unser fahrer, hat uns halt nich nur von a nach b gefahren, sondern wirklich alles organisiert… das war gut, denn als ich am sonntag um 12.30 aufwachte musste ich noch nen paar leute organisieren, damits net so teuer wird… also keine zeit was anderes zu organisieren, da wir uns um 1 mit ihm trafen… jop, S.A.-style lief aber alles top den ganzen tag und wird mir als highlight im kopp bleiben… schoene landschaften wohin das auge blickt… guter wein, der natuerlich mit jedem glas immer besser wurde… =) zwischen dem 2ten und dem dritten weingut hatten wir kurzfristig ein kleines problem mit dem auto… lief dann aber auch schnell wieder… ich sass hinter dem fahrer inner ersten reihe und ploetzlich kam da funken aus der konsole unter/neben seinem sitz… die maedels erstma panik geschoben von wegen es brennt, er aber gechillt ohne ende einfach was drueber gelegt damit wir net flambiert werden… =) hat dann aber auch relativ schnell aufgehoert rumzuspacken…

nach der weintour war ich erstma in rondebosch (stadtteil) bei freunden zu einem “osteressen”… ja, ich war immernoch lattenstramm… aber war schoen… lecker was zu essen bekommen und noch nen bisl wein getrunken… muggelich… aber der mann von welt geht dann ja nicht ins bett… nein, er peitscht sich nochma schoen auffe long street… das is quasi cape towns kiez… die sause, welche so um 2 uhr mittags in stellenbosch begonnen hatte endete dann also ca. um 5 uhr morgens mit einem sehr mueden boris der am naechsten tag nix ausser 2 dvds und einer “oster-pizza” unternommen hat… =)

ostern mal anders… aber nicht unbedingt schlechter =)

das wars soweit erstma… zwischen den wochenenden passiert nich sooo viel spannendes, bzw. nix erzaehlenswertes… arbeit laeuft… ich mach viel sport, ham hier um die ecke nen relativ vernuenftigen fussballplatz da gehts fast jeden abend um 6 hin zum buffn… heute geh ich noch in ne bar hier um die ecke (der besitzer bufft immer mit) und guck champions league… den grossartigen sieg vom hsv konnte ich leider nich live verfolgen, ebenso wenig wie bayerns arschtritt gegen barca… englischer fussball is hier halt mit abstand nummer eins…

ansonsten frag ich mich manchmal wo die ganze zeit bleibt… aber die geht wohl mit kochen, einkaufen und co. floeten… und ein bischen werbung muss ich auch noch machen, unzwar fuer das buch “Che Part One: Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War”… wen das thema interessiert… ich bin total gefesselt von Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s tagebuechern… und kanns gar nich erwarten das naechste zu lesen…

das wars jetzt aber! tschuess,

ich.

ps: nein, ich bin kein kommunist! =)