Around Capetown
This week have been to Cape Point, not the southen most point of Africa, but probably as close as i will get. Here the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet and the marine life is different for each ocean. Cold water and warm water denizens living next door to each other.
Drove around the penisula so saw both the eastern coast and the wild and beautiful Atlantic coast. The Atlantic seaboard has beautiful white beaches, and wild seas that the surfers love, but its too cold to swim, and its where the rich whites live. The views are great but I think I would prefer a beach you could swim at, sunbathing is the go.
Such a contrast, the rich white 'burbs and the improvished black townships. They say that racism has reduced but I think not at the unconscious level, its seems its good to talk about but harder to change generations of ingrained thinking and habits
The townships are improving apparently, there are still 1000s maybe 100,000s of tin shacks, the size of our garden shed but they are working on replacing these with prefab or concrete blocks houses. But these are all identifcal and placed row on row on row, better conditions? - just. Its a hugh job to improve the lives of so many people. You can do tours of the black townships, but I have a dilemma about exploiting someone elses living conditions. Maybe if I can find someone, that ensures the money goes to the community.???
Have been to the Botanical Garden, excellent, such a diverse range of vegetation. From desert succulents to apline flowers. Great gardens and a rare sunny day to enjoy them.
It was a public holiday, so it got very busy, so good to see families out enjoying the gardens. These gardens are much more used for recreation then our bot gardens and they have to pay to get in. It was a public holiday, and many of the touristy things you can do were packed, like Fish and Chips at Hout Bay, so I got outta there. It was Woman's Day, 50 years since woman marched on parliament with partitions to improve the life of woman, back then it was to remove Pass laws, today they are still looking for an end to violence against women and improved living standards.
Yesterday went to Stellenbosch in the Winelands. The second town to be settled after Capetown, by the Dutch, so lots of dutch-cape style architecture - thatch rooves. Its a vibrant university town in the countryside, so much more relaxed then Capetown, still touristy but the uni / coffee shop culture overrides that a little. I enjoyed the day, esp as Rob and i had just shared a bottle of red with lunch at a winery. I dropped him back at work and had the arvo to wander around.
Today the weather is absolutely revolting, the freeway into Capetown was blocked, and I don't venture too far of the beaten track, in fear of getting lost in a black township in Cape Flats, which is easy to do as the area they cover is immense. So internet cafe at the local mall looks good.
