Sunny Days=Exploring and Beaches

Well, this is me writing from my new digs J. And what a drastic change it is. Cape Town sits in the bowl created by the space between Table Mountain, Lions Head, Signal Hill and the ocean. As we drove up the winding streets, I was absolutely in awe. First, because the streets are quite steep and everybody uses manual cars, the e-brake was used almost every time we stopped. Second, I was excited as each street we passed had shops and cafes and restaurants, all waiting for me to explore. At the house, I was greeted by Lola, the very hyperactive, black and white border collie. She was poking her head over the wall when I arrived. My new hosts are the Brink family. When I first arrived, only the daughter, Saskia was at home, while the parents- Monica and Johan, were still finishing up their vacation through Europe. Saskia was a great host and immediately put me in the car to drive me up Signal Hill, which runs behind their house. From there, I peered down at Cape Town and the white beaches of Clifton beach. I didn’t manage to get any good photos that day, but I’m sure I will be back up there, walking Lola, soon.

The first night, I was invited to Saskia’s boyfriend (GP)’s parents house for dinner. They have a stunning view of Cape Town as they sit high enough on the hill to view the whole city, right down to the harbour.

Thursday and Friday at work was still a little crazy, but not crazy enough that most people were ready to leave at 2:30 on Friday. The work ethic here is so interesting. Work starts in the unit at 8 am. What this really means is you should be in the building at this time. The first thing everybody does is make a cup of tea. You usually drink you tea before continuing on to work, none of this multi-tasking business. Some people check their emails, but often that does not get done until 10 or 11am, so if you really need to discuss something it’s easier to phone or walk down the hall to someone’s office. Often the internet is not working (but somehow Microsoft Outlook is working so people can get their email), and most people do not sit and work at a computer. Lunch is very social, with everybody stopping, making tea, and eating his or her lunch around the same time. Afternoons include a tea break, and then people begin packing up around 3:40, to be in their cars by 4pm. At 4:05, the unit is nearly a ghost unit, with one or two stragglers staying back if necessary. For the most part, nobody works past 4, even if there is work to be done.  Fridays, people generally leave the unit around 2:30 (actually, we get to leave whenever the big boss man leaves....and people often are done their work early). It’s quite laid back, but sometimes the small inefficiencies drive me up the wall. For instance, the other week, it took 5 people, 20 minutes, to figure out how and where to file 4 files. It’s a good exercise for me in learning to work with other people and cultures.

Friday night was spent with Saskia and her friends. We first went to this fancy sushi place down by the water. It was situated in a cobblestone courtyard that was surrounded by high brick buildings. Sushi and cocktails were ½ price, and I ate two rolls and a bellini for $14 (about 95Rand). We watched the sky overhead turn from blue, to orange, to pink. After, we went to her friend’s house to cuddle up in blankets by the fire and watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics (which started at 9:45pm for us). We spent lots of time discussing what different words mean for us (SA: Flapjack= pancake, SA pancake=crepe, SA:Crumpet=scone). I also picked up on the fact that although Apartheid is well over, racial stigma is still very present. Cape Town is a very white-dominated area, and slang referring to ‘coloured’ and ‘black’ mannerisms still often refers to lower class people (regardless of colour). It was interesting as an outsider to watch a country in the midst of changing racial tensions, for which racially charged language and slang often follows behind changing thoughts.

Saturday and Sunday were absolutely gorgeous.

Lola

Morning walk along the promenade with Lola

 I spent lots of time leisurely reading in the sun while Saskia did her homework. On Saturday afternoon, we went to the other side of Table Mountain to Llanduno beach, where we watched surfers glide in while the sunset stained the sky behind them.  As soon as the sun set, the night became chilly quite quickly and we returned to the house to warm up and watch some of the Olympics. Sunday morning began with a shopping excursion. GP, Saskia’s boyfriend is a unit manager for Adidas and he took us to the factory outlet store to peruse the discount racks. Unfortunately, they did not have a lot in my size, but I managed to find a nice pair of shorts for an awesome price. Then, Saskia and GP dropped me off at the V&A Waterfront so I could take a “Hop On Hop Off” Bus Tour all by myself. It was the first time I have ever wandered around a foreign city by myself and I was quite worried I was going to get lost or attract too much attention as a white female tourist wandering by herself. My first stop was Long Street, and the Green Market Square where local crafts are sold. Although I wanted to explore the market and the streets, I was a bit uncomfortable about lingering too long because there were not many pedestrians and many of the shops were closed. I found a nice place to eat and then scurried back to my bus. The next stop was St. George’s Church, where Desmond Tutu and Gordon Oliver united over 30,000 citizens on a march protesting peace and justice in 1989. 

The church was closed, but beside it was a beautiful national garden hosting flora and fauna that are exclusive to the Cape. Couples and families were sprawled on the grass, feeding the pigeons and enjoying picnics.

My next stop was the National Gallery, where I viewed art from many South African artists. It was different from the traditional art museums I am used to, but I enjoyed how the South African culture was expressed through the art.

Then I was off to the Castle of Good Hope, where I walked along the battlements and gave myself a self-guided tour. It was very different from traditional European castles and I’ve included some photos below so you can see for yourself. I also practiced using the self-timer mode so I could have a picture or two of myself. 

Unfortunately, the District 6 museum which hosts most of the information about Apartheid was closed on a Sunday, so I will have to go back and view this another day. 

Finally, the bus took us on a tour of the beaches on the other side of Table Mountain.

I was so happy to have my first sunny weekend and real taste of Cape Town. I’ve now got a good list of things I still wish to explore in my remaining 13 days. (And lots to do at work this week).

Stay well!