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Published: March 12th 2014
We've been here a week already!!!!
My how time flies when you are having fun! We have been in Cape Town a week now and it has been a week filled with new sights, new smells, new people and new adventures!
Friday March 07
Today was the day we decided to check out how we were getting to Jo'burg. We left the flat at about 10 am and went straight to the train station. I had researched transportation at home before we left and found a tourist class train called the Shoslalosha train that sounded like it was the way to go. I attempted to book our seats on line and the site wouldn't let me. No problem I thought!! Once we were in Cape Town we could book it right?
Easier said than done!!! Got to the first window and the helpful gal suggested we go down into the station to a different area of the terminal and buy our tickets there. So off we went in that direction and to the next gal in the next window who told us that the Blue train did not go to Jo'burg on Fridays and that we should
go outside, take a left and then another left and we could ask there. So we followed her directions and ended up in the Premier Class office. She also told us that this train didn't go to Jo'burg on Fridays. She suggested we go back into the main terminal and turn left. We did exactly what she said and ended up at the very first window we had started at. This time we asked for the right train, the Shosholoza Meyl train and were told then that this was the correct train, but the next available train to Jo'burg was leaving on April 29. We thought there might be some sort of language barrier so we asked again and still the answer was April 29. Now, we did say we loved Cape Town, but NOT that much!!! We have a Safari to attend!!!
We decided we would sit down at lunch and decide about alternative plans. Off we went to the V&A Waterfront again. We also wanted to explore the Hop On Hop Off double decker bus and make plans for the rest of the week. We found a fun little outdoor café and sat down to chat. It
appears that South Africa does not only produce some great wine, but also some great beer. We tasted Milk and Honey Beer, (a craft beer from Cape Town) Windhoek (from Windhoek, Namibia) Castle Beer (from Johannesburg, South Africa) and Old Wobbly (also a craft beer from Cape Town). Dick and Sue shared a plate of chips (French fries) with cheese, blue cheese and what seemed like a pound of bacon. Oh my!! was that Yummy!!! I had a small plate of calamari and chips which was also so very tasty and fresh from the Ocean. Nothing like the rubberish pieces of calamari we get at home!
SO with full belly's and happy hearts, we chatted about what our next week should look like.
We were kinda making tentative plans rather than definite plans because Dick has a cousin who lives close by George, South Africa. She was told that Dick and Sue were coming to South Africa and maybe we could meet up with them for a visit. We were not in any hurry to plan anything definite, so our plans were loosey goosey until we heard from her.
After making our tentative plans we made our
way back to our flat..... On this night, Dick and Sue and Rene went back to the Indian Bazaar for dinner and I stayed back. When they came back we played cards until bedtime.
Saturday March 08
We woke up late again.....seems like sleeping in has become a norm here! We decided we wanted to check out the Slave Lodge that is a tourist attraction. The Slave Lodge was built in 1679 as the slave lodge of the Dutch East India Company. It is believed that up to 9000 slaves, convicts and the mentally ill lived in the building between 1679 and 1811. It gives details of the slave period in the history of the building. Much of the history is pretty hard to listen to and see. A reminder of how brutal and mean people can be to one another. We left there feeling a little somber and sad.
Just as we walked out of the Lodge we heard some music, singing and drumbeats. We looked over and saw 3 little children singing and dancing and about 5 other children behind them playing drums and bongos. We stopped to watch and listen and take some photos.
Of course the children were hoping for some money for their efforts and of course we obliged and threw some coins into their basket. They were awful cute and appealing!!
Dick and Sue wanted to check out some different things than we did, so we went our separate ways for the rest of the day.
Rene and I walked through the Garden District (Dick and Sue did too) Some wonderful flowers and fauna from all over. Some even transplanted from all corners of the world. On our way to our next destination we were stopped again by some beautiful singing. We stopped again to watch a group of young people singing and dancing. What a beautiful sound!!! The leader of the group stopped at one point and said "we are from Imizano Township....people call this the Township of criminals...we call it the Township of Talent!" Rene and I absolutely agreed with that. What incredible talent.
After the Garden walk, Rene and I went back to the "Truth Café" for another coffee and to buy some more ground coffee for our morning coffee in the flat.After enjoying a wonderful cup of Americano and hot milk we made our
way to the District 6 Museum. This was just a tiny museum attemping to keep alive the story of District Six.
District Six is the name of a former inner-city residential area in the lower bowl of Cape Town. Over 60,000 of its inhabitants, all black were forcibly removed
during the 1970s by the apartheid regime
. Government officials gave four primary reasons for the removals. In accordance with apartheid philosophy, it stated that interracial interaction bred conflict, necessitating the separation of the races. They deemed District Six a slum, fit only for clearance, not rehabilitation. They also portrayed the area as crime-ridden and dangerous; they claimed that the district was a vice den, full of immoral activities like gambling, drinking, and prostitution. Though these were the official reasons, most residents believed that the government sought the land because of its proximity to the city centre, Table Mountain, and the harbour. Another sad story about what humans can do to each other in the name of who and what's right in who's eyes.
After District Six we went on to check out the Bo-Kaap.
The
Bo-Kaap is an area formerly known as the
Malay Quarter. It is quintessentially
a Township, situated on the slopes of Signal Hill above the city centre. The area is known for its brightly coloured homes and romantic cobbled stoned streets. I'm not sure about the romantic part.....hmmmm.....maybe I should ask Dick and Sue about the romantic part...., but the coloured homes and cobbled streets were very interesting. Written on the outside of about 5 homes were the words "Creativity means no Copying" I guess there are others who are trying to copy this unique little community.
So after walking the cobbled streets of the Bo-Kaap, Rene and I were getting a bit hungry. As we were walking back to our flat we could smell all the delightful smells of the quaint little restaurants preparing for the supper crowd. We stopped to look at the menu of a little Ethiopian place. This tiny little place claimed to be the BEST food in the SMALLEST restaurant in all of Cape Town. We decided this was our stop for dinner. In we went and the whole entire place was 18 feet by 9 feet, kitchen included!!. It would have sat total...12 people! This restaurant didn't serve beer, so our waitress suggested to go to the
corner beer store, buy a couple of beer and drink them with our meal. We did just that!!! Ethiopian food is served on a large round platter with injera, a large sourdough flatbread,which is about 50 centimeters (20 inches) in diameter and made out of fermented teff flour covering the platter. Then there is a blob of all the different meats and veggies. We had both the meat and the veggie meal therefore had about 10 delicious blobs of food are placed on the injera. You rip the injera in pieces and then scoop up the food with it. No utensils except the utensils God gave you. The food was so rich with all kinds of interesting flavours. They are certainly not shy with the use of spices. Another thing they seem not too shy about is breast feeding their children! There was a momma in the place nursing her tiny babe in full view. Now that's what I call CULTURE!!!!
After dinner we went back to the Garden to so some people watching! So interesting to see so many people of a different colour and ethnic origin. We love to people watch and this experience just adds another
dimension to an activity that we love!!!.
Sunday March 09.
This morning we decided we were headed to spend the day at Camp' s Beach. On our way to catch the bus we stopped at a park where a dance troop and a creative mime group was either practicing or just doing a Sunday show in the park. Another amazing show of incredible talent here in Cape Town. After watching for about 45 minutes we were on our way to our day's destination.
We had our Myciti bus passes and knew what bus we needed to take, so we jumped on the 107 bus and off to the beach we went. We got to the right stop and as we attempted to check off the bus, the whole system shut down. I asked the bus driver how often this happens.. He said it has never happened before....REALLY!!! One of us, and I do think it is Rene, has some force fields that are messing with the program. First of all the gondola shuts down when we are on and now the bus!!! Yup, pretty sure it's Rene!!! Oh wait.... It could be a combination of 2 Hoekstra's
on this trip??? Certainly can't be Dick and I!! Ok really the reason for the computer shut down this time was the annual bicycle road race in and around Cape Town. It is a bicycle race that is traverses 115 kms and between 35,000 and 40,000...yes... seriously that many cyclists!!!! compete in this race. Some do it for a "true" race and others do it for a charity or just to beat their personal best. What a sight to see! The cyclists just kept coming and coming.
We attempted to play on the beach for the afternoon, but the wind was something else. GALE FORCE winds the locals told us. Seriously.... at times we were halted in our tracks because of the wind. Standing on the beach, we all got sandblasted. The sand hitting our bodies with that kind of force, seriously hurt!! After being brave in the howling wind, we decided we needed a bite to eat and a drink to quench our thirsty sand filled throats. We found this great little café called the Caprese Café. We ordered our drinks and our meals. Rene had a huge plate of fresh mussels (about 20) in this amazing cream
sauce, Susan and I had a salad with fresh calamari on top and Dick.....well Dick....... ordered a whole platter of different kinds of seafood and fish and proceeded to eat it all!!!
After eating our delicious meal we stayed to watch the sun set over the ocean and made our way back to the flat. We were back to the flat and we all fell into bed exhausted after the fun day in the sun, SAND and wind.
And so now our friends and family
STAY WELL!!
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Jennifer
non-member comment
Awesome!
Wow, I love this blog! Thanks for sharing - sure wish I was there with you!!!