South Africa Part II: Capetown and Surrounds

First off, any pics from this part of the trip will be posted once we have returned to Canada (it is too difficult for us to find a place to download pics). ...

After our Safari -- we made our way to Capetown -- although it is winter in South Africa, we had tremendous weather (on the safari the highs were high 20s (celsius) and in Capetown, low 20s). Capetown is a very beautiful town. We arrived at dusk so did not get to see much until the next day. We spent the next day wandering around the city -- it is very dramatic as it is nestled between the ocean and a huge mountain (table mountain). The architecture was stunning. We went to the wharf for a late lunch -- they have done a nice job of combining commercial shipping with tourism along the waterfront. The one thing that was very clear in Capetown, however, is the disparity in wealth between those who have and those who do not have. For the most part food, clothing, etc. is quite cheap. Unless you are looking at designer clothing ... and then stuff is quite expensive. For lunch one could easily find a filling meal for only a few dollars. And the fruit/vegetables were extremely inexpensive. We also noticed how much one has to be aware of one's surroundings. Houses of any value (even the very small ones) are protected with alarms, etc. Along the highways there are tons of hitchikers (although one is not supposed to pick them up -- in the middle of nowhere we did pick up a woman and her young son -- nothing happened and we think the woman was grateful for the ride). Wherever you walk there are lots of folks milling about. It is definitely a place where you would have to get used to always being alert.

After our lunch we headed out of Capetown to our next destination -- a resort near Hermanus. We had a very lovely coastal drive -- very dramatic moutains, red earth, and ocean (two oceans). As we headed out of town, however, we got to see what we could not see in the dark. There are parts where there are miles and miles of "shacks" -- one room buildings made out of used cardboard (and other materials) and aluminum roofs, side by side. The poverty displayed in these shacks were amazing. Turns the S.A. census classifies these structures as "informal housing units." ... it really brings home how poorly Africans have been treated ... while at our resort, however, we saw a picture book that documented the "originality" and artistic aspect of these shacks -- it is called "Shack Chic." ... This book painted a picture of poor people who although wanting out of poverty were proud of their shacks and the community built around the shacks. We do not know what to think ... while some of the shacks probably do represent a home and the creative nature of these Africans -- there are also lots of shacks that are probably plain miserable ...

We explored several of the coast towns -- very striking geographically. Again well worth the trip. We spent two days exploring the areas around Capetown (including some inland winery towns). There is one more installment on South Africa and then we are on our way to Spain ...