Camps Bay

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After another long night of sleep, my host asked when I wanted to get moving. I asked for 30 minutes as I was completely off center. I threw my bathing suit on and 50 SPF. We headed to Camps Bay. My host dropped me off a little before noon. He said he would pick me up at 5pm in front of the supermarket. On the way there, my host explained to me that Camps Bay is the place to be seen if you want to be seen. Ummmm, I really don’t care to be seen, but the shops and restaurants are super convenient (across from the beach) and it is safe. Leo, Oprah, Becks, etc… all have homes in the area.

I rented a lounge chair for R50. The weather was so perfect. Just hot enough to break a small sweat, but not too hot to become uncomfortable. I did walk towards the water. As I was told, even though its summer here, the water is still near freezing. Of course I found this out when my toes were numb until they touched the hot sand again (I am exaggerating a bit). You can actually see Table Mountain and where people paraglide all near Devil’s Peak. People are throwing footballs, Frisbees, those Velcro balls – it was a typical day at the beach. Except this beach had lounge chairs for rent, HUGE rock formations all over, a view of the mountains, and at times perfect white fluffy clouds that filled the air. This was by far such an awesome beach.

At around 3pm, I decided to get a snack. I walked the strip and picked a restaurant with an upstairs where it was pretty chill. There are 4 tables in the shade (as I felt kinds roasted), so I asked to sit at one of the tables. The hostess said no as they were for 4 people. It was 3pm. I said it isn’t lunch time, it’s too early for dinner – do you really think 16 people are going to come here within the next hour? She said she would get in trouble with her manager. She offered to seat me at a 2 person table outside without an umbrella OR I could sit at a 6 person table inside. Hmmmm… she said, you don’t look happy. I said you aren’t any better than New York City. I simply walked my ass to another restaurant that let me pick my seat, even though there were 4 chairs.

My host explained to me that for the most part Cape Town isn’t trendy. There are some very wealthy and exclusive areas, but for the most part the town is laid back. They don’t have many trends, nor do they care much about their appearances. Perhaps the area I was at today didn’t represent their community so well. My host started to tell me he thinks South African people are all perceived as bad people and that it is super dangerous to come and visit. He said 70% of the population is black and the whites are in the minority. He wants people to understand that the look of the people is very bold. I kinda got lost in this conversation, but I assured him, of all countries in Africa, South Africa is one of the safest to visit. Of all the cities in SA, Cape Town is the safest, while Johannesburg is still considered to be very dangerous. He was happy to hear that. He did agree though that going out after dark isn’t a good idea unless you are with friends and/or a local. Apparently there still is crime, but then again the United States has plenty of crime.

One thing that he wasn’t aware of is things that make headlines in the United States, as most people think the US is a peachy and safe country. We deal with mass murders, racism, child abuse, domestic violence, white collar crimes, etc… He said it would be great if South Africa was publicized more in the US. I told him there is an entire campaign running in the US to come to South Africa. He was pleasantly surprised.

Anyhow, as my hosts cooked me dinner my 1st night, I thought it would be nice if I made them an ‘American’ meal. I decided to have a taco night. They have never had tacos. They kept calling them wraps. I couldn’t find black beans (as they don’t commonly eat them). I couldn’t find yellow rice. I decided to make a side of veggies – no squash or zucchini to be found at the grocery store!

Anyhow, I made meat tacos, with cheese (had to be grated as grated cheese wasn’t sold), sour cream (completely liquid like), salsa (which was handmade as it wasn’t sold either), chopped lettuce, corn, brown rice, and my vegetable concoction. As I couldn’t find Tabasco sauce, I bought a few small hot peppers and some hot pepper/garlic sauce as I had no idea what else to do… either way; they loved their ‘wraps’.

When we were done eating, the host that lives at the house, but has a different job during the day, told me how he broke his arm a while back, but he likes to stay looking good so he still works out but needs help bench pressing. He said how he can’t keep weight on. As he runs, swims and lifts weights all the time, he is still too skinny (which he isn’t – he is a nicely built man) and he has problems shopping for clothes as they are too big on him. I told him that that would be my dream – being able to eat whatever I want. I explained all my weight gain from my travels and he looked at me and said, but you have a pretty face. Ohhhh – will I need to get my ass in gear when I get home!

We then talked some more and he mentioned how I don’t really look American, but more Italian or something. I said I didn’t realize Americans have a certain look. I then went out on a limb and said, AND I am Jewish. He said, how unfortunate. Ummmm – I asked if he thought I was terrible or something and he covered up and said that he is an actuary. He works with a lot of Jewish men that are terrible people who happen to be actuaries. I didn’t dig into this at all… I don’t think he meant any harm here, just stuck his foot in his mouth?

A friend in NY said I wouldn’t be doing anyone justice hiding the fact that I am Jewish. In most cases, I should feel comfortable saying that I am Jewish. I completely disagree as my trips are never centered on sharing my religious beliefs. People are naive and that is OK. As I was naive about Muslims, I now hold a completely different perspective after spending time in Muslim countries; however I still wouldn’t ever mention my religion. Why should I make anyone feel uncomfortable? Even if they decided they liked me as a person, why change that perception? My friend back home is religious and he thinks it’s important that if they like you as a person, they should like you regardless of your religion. In some instances it is OK to let folks know that I am Jewish, as it isn’t going to change any circumstances (especially if there isn’t any awkwardness associated with it). If by any chance I share that I am Jewish and I am the first Jewish person they ever met – they will either think… cool, I guess a Jew is similar to me OR I can be asked where my horns are (which happened from a guy from North Carolina of all places). So, I am not on a mission to let people know Jewish people are just like anyone else… so I am going to keep my mouth shut moving forward as I see no need to make anyone squeal, even if it is just for a moment. Of course if someone says something completely idiotic (like my local Moroccan guide who claimed the Jews have sex with holes in the sheets) or my Canadian Grandpa who simply said I hate Jews… I will have to calmly correct them and ask why they think/feel that way.

Anyhow, besides this slightly awkward conversation, I watched the hosts and their female friend chain smoke and drink wine for the next 2 hours. Finally I decided it was time to break up the party as I felt like it was 1998 in a smoke filled bar.

Staying at this guest house is awesome. I am the only one here, so I have a one on one guide all day. There are the 2 dogs and the wolf that are so super friendly that live here as well. The accommodations are beautiful and lots of thought were put into the decorations – a lot nicer than I ever expected. So even though the unintentional commentary was strange, I like learning about local South African folks. I would tell everyone to come spend time here, as I have never had such a homey experience like this one in all of my travels.

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