CAPE TOWN

both Friday and Monday were public holidays here in South Africa, so what did I do? I took a short plane ride down to Cape Town. And I absolutely LOVE Cape Town. I mean, it's a gorgeous, lively, diverse city on the coast with a year-round Mediterranean climate...of course I loved it. It was like a Eastern hemisphere version of LA. which meant more Muslims, more Dutch and German influence, less Asians, no Latinos, and throw in the African part of course. haha. but it did boast many palm trees, beaches, piers, open air markets, colorful houses, laid back attitude and balmy sunshine just like Cali, oh yeah...and GREAT shopping. :)

The most prominent and distinctive feature of Cape Town is Table Mountain. Capetonians, as they are called, are extremely proud of this landmark. It was on my must do list, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. From the moment I touched down in Cape Town on Friday night there was this fierce wind thrashing everything in the city. It seriously woke me up every hour or so while I slept. It was insane and I didn't really understand what it really was. I thought that, like in LA which has similar strong winds from the ocean, it would subside in the morning and all would dawn clear and peaceful. I was so mistaken....

Table Mountain covered by the "tablecloth"

V&A Waterfront

  I stayed in this adorable B&B owned by a couple, Leah and Shane. The little 3-story home has 5 rooms and I occupied the attic room, which was small but just perfectly cozy for me. The house was built in 1909 and was painted bright coral, and all the rooms had been painted other bright colors- my little room was a perfectly pale, yet cheery yellow. It was fantastic with single-paned windows and a skylight. Leah and Shane were the best hosts and served breakfast every morning in their garden...can someone say paradise? yep.

My hair taking over my face from the wind

So anyhow, back to the wind...this extremely old, but cute, house swayed a bit in the wind I swear. I seriously thought it was going to topple everything over in the night. I thought this was a very rare and strange occurrence  a wind this crazy that lasted all through the night and was still going in the morning...nope. It happens ALL the time there. In fact, it continued through the entire day on Saturday. for 24 hours straight. No clouds, no crazy storm. Just insane wind. I cheerfully and playfully put up with it for the first few hours, finding humor in its strength. But by the end of the day, after being thrashed by its force and whipping my hair in my face all day, I was tired of it.

Castle of Good Hope

I was planning on going up Table Mountain, the have a cable car that takes you all the way to the top. But the crazy weather closed the mountain. Yes they closed the entire mountain (the whole thing is a national park) because of the wind and the large flat cloud that covered the top of the mountain due to the wind. So I adjusted my plans and instead took an open-top bus tour through the city. My first stop was the Castle of Good Hope. Really its just the first fortress built in South Africa by the Dutch, but they call it a castle and really like calling it a castle. haha. I then stopped through Green Market, which is an open air craft and artisan market. had some fun there haggling with the locals over teak wood bowls and hand dyed tablecloths. (pet peeve from this experience: I understand that people see America as a place of wealth and opportunity and I am grateful to have been born in the US, but just cuz I am American does not mean I am rich! I may make more on a daily basis than the majority of the people who live here, but it is also more expensive to live where I live. But people hear my accent and automatically assume I am made of money and take advantage of that stereotype. so I even adopted a South African accent at the market and told everyone I came from Pretoria. seriously it was better. not going to lie, I'm a bit tired of people taking advantage of me cuz I am American. the end of my rant)

Camps Bay

After collecting the rest of my South African souvenirs at the market, we traveled to Camps Bay, where I braved the fierce wind to lunch on fish and chips overlooking the beach. It was gorgeous and perfect...deceptively so as the wind whipped all around me once I ventured out in the open.
Of course no seaside city is complete without a lighthouse! I gleefully spent quite some time at the Green Point lighthouse. :) And ..... finished my day doing what else when I can't go outside in a great city? shopping on the Victoria and Alfred waterfront.

I was very relieved to wake up the next morning to a brilliant sun and crystal clear skies...but it didn't last long. A couple hours after leaving the Lodge the clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped. Oh well, I thought, it can't be completely perfect right? :)
I started the day weaving around Table Mountain to the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens. It looked like I was in a tropical jungle. The mountain actually has its own biome. bottom line: beautiful.
The route followed a valley behind the mountain where we passed by a shack township and bird sanctuary before ending at Hout Bay. The water was a pretty blue-green with white sand lining the half-circle coastline. I then returned to Sea Point and soaked in the sea breeze at the causeway. I was in heaven.

Hout Bay

And thus ended my wonderful weekend in Cape Town.

SUN-day

Sunday I decided to take a break from my crazy past few days of work, little sleep, and outings to observe the Day of Rest. I unfortunately didn't get a chance to go to church since I have no transportation...hoping to change that next week somehow. So I slept in a bit, breakfasted, and went for a walk with my coworker to a Bird Sanctuary, which is just a short walk from where I am staying. It was perfect weather for a long walk around the sanctuary. they have dozens of types of birds there, one of which was very tall and colorful with plume feathers sticking straight out of its head. Of course that was my favorite... leave it to me to fall in love with the crazy bird.
honestly was the best way to spend my sunday morning. My body soaked in the warm sun....so much that I even got a sunburn....in March. and I am very happy about it. Saturday as we were walking around Soweto, shopping at the stands where the locals sell I got a tan line from my shoes. yess! I don't even care if I get skin cancer. This girl loves the sun and needs it reflected in her skin. :)
Back to the birds...I see - and hear! - birds everywhere here. but tons at the sanctuary - it was beautiful environment with a large pond dotted with islands for the birds to rest. There were so many different birds, I don't know if we even have that many species of birds in the US - welcome to Africa. (saw a couple large turtles too) I'm hoping to go back since I didn't take my camera......

yes for fear of being jumped/robbed. which is seriously an issue here. It is so strange to me that the crime rate is so high in a country so developed and democratized. But you see the evidences of it everywhere ...every house is surrounded by a wall and electric fence, every office building has around the clock security detail and barbed wire, even strip malls are surrounded by high fences. No one will let me go anywhere by myself and we are under strict orders to not walk around at all after dark. Thus the paid drivers to take us everywhere. Luckily we are all in the same boat so we share the expenses and band together. But I'm not going to lie, its been a burden on this American girl who loves going outside and walking around. but there are many people who would be disappointed if I died and I would be disappointed if something got stolen, so I'll keep to the precautions. :)

a complex, historical South Africa

Saturday we hired a driver (yes we are the tourists in Africa that hire drivers to take us around...more on that later), went down to Johannesburg to take in the turbulent more recent history of South Africa. We started in Soweto, which stands for Southwestern Township. It basically a ghetto suburb where blacks were forced to live under the apartheid. Even though apartheid is a thing of the past, there is still a great polarity between these townships and the middle class neighborhoods. The little houses are tiny and all exactly the same due to the government works that created them in the 50's. Today some have been improved and enlarged, but they all have the characteristic stone walls or gates surrounding them with bars on the windows and entrances....just like compton..hmmm.
Soweto is home to Nelson Mandela's home which he occupied before he was imprisoned. The house still has bullet holes from when the police would shoot at it to scare Mr. Mandela and his family.
The township is also home to some of the first student riots in the 70's, which were the impetus for a lot of the resistance and subsequent change to the apartheid government. One of the major catalysts for the movement was the shooting of a little boy named Hector Pietersen in 1976, who, during a student demonstration, was observing the crowd and got caught in the cross fire between the police and the students and was killed. Theirs is a very violent and tragic story of change, similar to our own Civil Rights Movement during the 60's, but with much more death, anger, and violence. We visited the museum in Soweto dedicated to this boy and the students who stood up to the police during this time.
We then drove across town, out of Soweto, to the famous Apartheid Museum. It details the history of South Africa, starting with the violent wars between the various tribal groups themselves, then with both the Dutch and British colonists, up to the successful abolition of apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa.
It struck me how familiar this history is....all around the world groups of people have been subjugated by another group at one time...be it Jews, blacks, Mormons, Christians, Muslims, Native Americans, low-class, laborers, etc. The story is always the same, and is wrought with violence, oppression, and usually ends with freedom, but a freedom sometimes dearly paid for. The blacks of South Africa were angry in their fight for freedom, perhaps stemming from their cultural and historical background/ancestry of war-like independent tribes. It makes me wonder why it is that some struggles for freedom are so violent like theirs, while others are a bit more peaceful and less lengthy. (that would be a good master's thesis...)

bullet hole above the window of Nelson Mandela's home

Nelson Mandela's house-housed 4 people

Soweto

at the Hector Pietersen museum-all the bricks have names of students who were killed in Soweto

I have learned so much in just a few days about the culture, history, and temperament of South Africa. I am reminded how even though they have the same cars as Europe, the same language as the US and England, the same McDonald's as the whole world, and are human like the rest of us, they are different....and yet they are still children of the same God. He created us all equally, it is us who create the differences, and yet the the central core of those differences we are still the same. We all want freedom to live and choose, we all wish to work hard and provide for our families, we all desire the opportunity to progress.

a native, rural South Africa

Thursday was a holiday here in South Africa: Human Rights Day. So a couple of the ladies and I went to the Lesedi Cultural Village and the Hartbeespoort Dam. The Cultural Village is kinda like the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii- performers reenact the culture and life of the 5 largest native peoples of South Africa: the Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho, Pedi, Ndbele. The all wear native dress and make a lot of the items they sell as souvenirs. They began a presentation with singing and playing the marimba, then told us about the geographical and historical differences between the groups. They had replicas of the traditional villages and we interacted with the "natives" as we walked around the mini villages, observing them "live" in the traditional way. The grand finale was a dance performance of the traditional dances of the groups with stories of their meanings...and of course I joined in the fun. :) I can't deny the call of dancing and music.
We then drove to a town called Hartbeespoort to eat, named for the Hartbeespoort Dam which creates a breathtaking lake nestled in the hills and ridges of the area. The water was a beautiful blue-green, the sky was clear, the sun high and hot, the trees were full and green. It was wonderful.

All in all a good day for my first outing in South Africa.
The countryside is pretty varied here, around Pretoria there are lots of trees and flowers that seem to grow wild. In fact they say that Pretoria is the Jacaranda capital of the southern hemisphere, the streets are lined with them and I'm sure when they are blooming it is gorgeous. However,as we drive out not too far from the city the landscape becomes more rocky and drier, with cactus growing in the midst of the tall grasses and sparsely situated trees. Once again, it reminds me so much of Southern California.
One difference: the earth is red. The red dirt of Africa. The color contrast between the red earth, golden grass, bright green trees, and clear blue sky makes for gorgeous scenery. A beautiful country!

Jet lag has taken its toll on me. I thought I was over it, sleeping 8 hours Wednesday night after taking an ambien, just in case. But then Thursday night I hardly slept a wink. I was extremely exhausted Friday, and fell asleep while watching a movie in my room after work, I woke up after a couple hours, figured I better just go to sleep for real, but had a really hard time of it. Sigh.... took an ambien and finally got to sleep for another outing on Saturday.

eat...eat...eat

so far one of the most consistent parts of my time in South Africa has been delicious food. Last night we (we = some of the other USAID staff staying at my hotel and I) went to this Indian restaurant down the street and  I had the most delicious apricot chicken curry with garlic naan. mmmmmm....I'm happy just thinking about it again. Luckily I have a propensity for not eating my whole plate and so I had it again today for lunch.

Tonight one of the other USAID staffers talked the hotel owner into making us a feast on the roof of the hotel. And I mean feast...and a greek one at that! The hotel owner is greek and the kindest person ever, so  friendly and loves to serve. She opened her apartment to us on the roof and let us eat on her balcony overlooking the city as the sunset. It was heaven! Picture this: the sun setting, the half moon rising, the temperature perfect, the crickets singing, a light but warm breeze blowing, geraniums and lime trees lining the railing of the balcony. Ahhh....
I think the only reason I am justifying all this lavish food is number one: everything is a bit cheaper here (our highly recommended 4-star indian meal cost me less than $20), number two: I'm basically on vacation, number three: I'm getting plenty of money for food, number four: I'm in South Africa! (not that anything I have eaten yet is traditional South African food..haha. that will come tomorrow!!)

I am learning to enjoying eating here with these people. Most of them are used to eating out and living abroad and are older so they take their time to eat, they pause in between the appetizers, the salad, the main courses and the dessert. They chat and eat slowly, seeming to enjoy the time spent consuming a meal, rather than just a chore to be done. At first I was a bit flustered and I wanted to hurry up and eat to get on with my night (cuz there are always a million things to do) but then I realized: what is there for me to do after we return or finish eating? Nothing. So I told myself: Alicia Marie (that's what I call myself... :) ) calm down and enjoy the one chance you have to fully enjoy these great food experiences! (so un-American and so un-me) My sister would be so proud!

I almost feel guilty for enjoying myself so much and eating/living so well in AFRICA of all places- which is made up of more poor countries than any other region/continent in the world. But hopefully if I am spending money here, that means that someone is continuing to work and the country is continuing to receive income. I saw a site that said something like for every $1 of tourism money spent in Africa, one family is fed for a day. Well this is why I work where I do I suppose.

Tomorrow is Human Rights Day - a national holiday, so no work! I already have a full day planned. A couple of the ladies have kinda taken me under their wing, so we're having a girls day of exploring. I'm grateful they are letting me tag along so I don't have to face exploring the countryside by myself. I'm the only one I know who seems to think that's a good idea....haha :)

a peaceful morning in Pretoria

I never thought I would say this, but having a phone without the typical smart phone capabilities and being without Internet at my hotel for the last 48 hours has been great. I have not been able to check my email every 5 seconds, glance at Facebook when I'm bored, or get live updates on every bit of news.
I feel so detached from my typical world, and yet the detachment is so liberating! Honestly I might make this a permanent thing even when I get back to the states....I know that would be a great surprise if I actually do it...we'll see.

I enjoyed the most lovely morning my first day in Pretoria! I didn't actually fall asleep after my attempt to read/post at 3am. So I got a total of maybe 4.5 hours of sleep last night. Reminds me of my college days. But this morning I was actually glad I was up before the sun rose to hear the world waking up. I heard the first birds start chirping, then the first cars zoom down the road, then the first sunlight peer it's way through the curtains. I was able to get up, get ready, enjoy my balcony with the door open, have breakfast outside and all way before the van came to pick me up to go to the office. It was amazing. And since I'm pretty sure my body is still in shock I wasn't groggy or unhappy to be awake like most mornings (I'm not really a morning person...although if every morning could be like this one I might consider converting!)

This country is beautiful! The people are so kind. (Well from the 18 hours I've experienced of it) it's wonderfully warm and not too humid or dry. If I don't return to the us....you'll know where to find me.

AND...as if my life couldn't get any better right now...Thursday is a national holiday as well as next Friday and the following Monday so the office is closed! More time to explore! How is it that I keep getting so lucky? Ahh I love life.

My morning view from my hotel room:

first impressions: warm sunsets in South Africa

apparently the ambien I took has worn off because I can't sleep. it's 3:30am... Johannesburg time. I went to bed at 10 very tired and fully expecting to sleep through the night....no such luck. and I'm starving. my poor body doesn't know if it's supposed to be tired or hungry or what time of the day it is. i kinda felt like I was stuck in the belly of a 777 whale for 20 hours....i got in and it was sunday evening in georgia, i got out to be greeted by the sunny warm evening of Johannesburg. somewhere in between passed a night, but I didn't really see it...crazy. my poor body has been through a lot these past 24 hours-planes are not super comfortable for extended periods of time in case you were wondering. but we're hanging in there, mostly just happy to be here...in South Africa!
all I can hear are the constant buzz of the cicadas and the occasional creak of the ac unit. It is wonderfully warm here in South Africa. not the muggy, oppressive heat of the east coast or the blasting, searing heat of the high desert, but instead its like a constant warm blanket of air-pleasant and fresh, even after the sun has gone to bed.
The countryside reminds me of California-gentle rolling hills, covered by golden grasses, large trees, some which I have never seen before, interspersed with familiar palms and bushes.
The sun is big and bright making for most beautiful sunsets! I have missed the sunsets of the west so much, I think I might be in danger of falling in love with the sunsets of South Africa.
I think my tired eyes are ready to close again...lets see if they will stay that way for a little while longer :)