.....Cape Town, S.A. to Johannesburg, S.A. to Niarobi, Kenya to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania......I hate to complain, but the journey was less than to be desired - flight was long and dreadful! Johannesburg, S.A. lived up to it's reputation - busy and not so friendly; however, we were only in the airport, so we should not be so quick to judge! We left S.A. at 5amish and arrived at Springlands Hotel at 1 am the next day with a 1 hour time change. On the last leg of the flight and the bus ride to Springlands Hotel we travelled with 10 british boys and 2 british girls - they were young and fun so it was good for a few laughs to get us through. The boys were climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro - the Marangu route in 5 days (a bit longer in length, but easier then the Machame - the one Delia and I were doing in 7 days). The girls were doing the same Marangu route, but summitting on Christmas Day. The boys did not look prepared so I am curious if they were all successful or not. However, the mountain has nothing to do with fitness, but the cold, altitude and it is all about mind over matter. I also learned early on that climbing Mt. Kilimangaro is like an ironman race - you cannot judge a person's ability to succeed by their shape and size! I am reminded again of this thought once we start the climb.
We did not see alot of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania when we first got there as it was at night (except we did experience the really rough roads - a new meaning to the childhood song "....the people in the bus go up and down......"), but when we arrived at the hotel we did get a taste of the poverty that exists in the country. Although we are not naive to the poverty and the extent of poverty in Tanzania, it did take us off guard a little. Whatever our awareness, I don't know if it would ever prepare us for experiencing it first hand. The first experience we had was when we arrived at the hotel at 1am in the morning (after a long flight so we were tired and even less tolerant). It was obvious then, and became more apparent the longer we were in Tanzania, that the poor were "contaminated" by tourist. At every opportunity the people in Tanzania that were less fortunate attempted to capitalize on our ignorance & vulnerability. They wanted to carry your bags, entertain you, sell you and basically do whatever you are willing and can pay for. It was their perception that if you could afford to travel and stay in the hotel, then you were rich and they wanted a part of that - and from their vantage point & having basically nothing (not even the basics such as clean water), this seemed about right. Specifically the situation we were handed right away was when we first arrived on the bus and ready to check into the hotel. First of all, the hotel; located right in the middle of a suburb of Moshi, was gated so we had to wait until the security let the bus driver in. Once through the gates the bus parked in the very narrow driveway - not completely dark, but very few lights - some on the ground around the path only, so it was very difficult to see even if you new the grounds - we had no idea where to go or what to do - we were waiting for instructions, but the communication was not the best. As a herd of buffalo - we all just started to get off the bus aimlessly hoping that we would be told where to go or that someone on the bus would be able to figure it out. Delia and I were just thinking that we would really love to register ahead of the English blokes as they were young and were more anxious to go to the bar then they were registering *grin* (you can take kids away from their environment, but it is hard to change their ways)! Anyways, as we got off the bus and looked around for some direction. We then attempted to get our own bags off the bus and then go register. At this time we were told not to worry about our bags, "they" would get them. We were not sure really who "they" were, and as we stood there for a bit wondering what was happening, the driver pointed us to the registration desk. As we walked around the bus along the path to the registration desk, we did see several maasi men (distinguished by their dress) waiting & quite frankly, looking just as lost and confused as we were. The maasi did not speak English so we relied on the staff at Springlands and the driver for explanation and the maasi relied on the Springlands staff and driver for the same. When we told our driver it was okay that we could take our own bags (as they were REALLY heavy and we felt guilty to make anyone carry the massive bags anywhere) - they just kept saying, "....that it was okay, "they" will get them...". By this time, we clued in that we really didn't have a choice and that they wanted to take our bags to receive tips. The bus driver told us to go check in & the maasi would wait for us, take our key and they would take us to our room - carrying our things. The hotel obviously endorsed this as they would not tell us where our room was - they kept saying that the men would take our things to the door. Now, it is not rocket science here - we knew that they were waiting for a tip, but as much reading as we did on the trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro and Tanzania - tipping for the mt climb was discussed, but the hotel and other services were not. We don't have any issue with tipping and those of you that know Delia, she goes to the extreme the other way, but it was just the uncomfortable situation - did not matter which country I was in, I was use to carrying my own bags. It was also late and we had all our money in our money belt (all currency - American, Australian, S.A. Rand and NZ dollars) - we really didn't want to pull all our money out and start sorting it out - very awkward as they stood in the room. We ended up giving them some American money, but they did not seem to happy with the amount. Also, the other thing that happened was that Delia had to go and buy some water when I realized that I packed my swiss army knife - the one that I was going to use to open our bags with (we used plastic ties to secure our bags during travel). So I asked the men before they left the room if reception would have any scissors that I could use to cut it. One of them went off to check and came back with a machate to cut it off. Needless to say it was a quite a shock. I have to say though that during this whole experience, everyone was really nice and friendly and I did not feel my safety threatened, it was just the experience of the tipping that I was not initially prepared for that's all. Throughout the hotel it was similar attitude - it was never talked about, but the expectations was always there. Although we were initially taken off guard, we soon realized that if you constantly had tourists shoving a camera in your face to get that perfect shot or possibly at times, being taken advantage of - maybe you would be doing the same. After being in Tanzania for a few days - you just got use to it and we just went with the flow. I mean, really, we are not making them rich - just taking part in the whole touristy thing. When travelling, one has to experience it all - not just the good parts. In fact, learning about the country and the people is 80% of the travelling experience. Despite the poverty, people generally were friendly & seem to be always having a good time together. In Africa, they have many resources & there is definitely money - as always, it is the lack of distribution that causes the problems. Unfortunately, this was only the beginning of the poverty that we were to see. Africa is definitely a continent of mixed emotions....elation to despair, awe to sadness and a sense of hope to a sense of helplessness. Many times I would be laughing so hard that my stomach hurt and the next minute I would be holding back tears. It was really difficult to watch people with literally nothing surrounded by wealth! This is only one part of Africa - it truly is a place that has alot to offer. I won't go on & on, but it was all part of our experience!
Springlands Hotel is nice, but alot of action for sure - once we got use to the things, everything was okay - communication was not the best and for the most part, we found things out by trial and error. We had one day at Springlands Hotel before the climb, which was good to get ourselves organized - what clothes to take, etc. The night before our climb we had a meeting at the hotel. This meeting was to review the details of the climb, to meet our guide; Benjamin and to meet the 3 other people that we would be climbing with: Mike, Sabrina & Jen - I will explain more later, but we were a fantastic team - I don't think that we could have planned it better if we were able to choose our own team - we had so much fun and we truly cared about each other. Our instructions for the next day were to have a good breakfast and prepare 3 bags: one for the porters to take up the mountain, one day pack that we would carry and a bag with the remaining things that you were leaving back at the hotel. Once all the questions were answered we said good night and agreed to meet tomorrow morning, at the bus to take us to the Machame Route by 8am sharp.....hmmmmm......or was that 8 am African time.........*grin*! We went to bed had a great sleep and really not sure what to expect....and as much as we would ever be, we were ready to climb the mountain...."See it, Fear it, Conquer it"!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
...There is Room For Everyone....!
On day 3, our travels continued in S.A. with a trip to another winery. Julie took us to Hidden Valley; Overture, Winery. This time we had a wine and cheese pairing tasting. It took awhile to get there, but the view was outstanding (for you golf fans out there, Overture is beside Ernie Els' vineyard). This is another advantage (one of many) of having family tour you around in the area - most likely we would not have known of this winery and we most certainly would not have been able to get there - not easily anyways. We were a table of 5 (Julie, Delia, Julie's friends; Karin & Bob and myself). There was a cheese platter on the table that had a variety of cheeses, crackers, chutney, bull tonge (dried meat - good, but salty) and a sweet square that I can't remember what it was called - tasted like a fancy jube jube. The tasting and pairing went as follows: the server would come to the table with a wine, provide their comments on the wine & then suggest what we should pair with the wine as well as if to eat it before tasting the wine or after. Really though, you could do whatever you wanted - you could guzzle the wine and stuff your face with food - there were no rules! But I am thinking that just maybe, the experience is a little better if you try as suggested - I don't know, but I am just saying *grin*. It all may sound pretentious, but it really wasn't - very relaxed atmosphere and fun. For me it was like storytime complimented with wine & cheese....hmmmmm....sounds good to me. We had a lot of laughs for sure! We had a favourites, but enjoyed it all - there wasn't a drop of wine wasted or any food on the plate remaining - what a surprise! Another interesting point for those wine drinkers - or I found it interesting anyways - is what is better, cork, twist off or glass. Our server's name was Sune (pronounced "Sue Knee"), she was simply devine - young, passionate & fun - she took our antics in stride. Among other things she did give us a bit of insight over the debate on how to seal the wine. The two main factors to consider are one, how to maintain the integrity of the wine when storing & our "carbon footprint". The other factor, of course, is the cost to the wine makers themselves. To give the answer away at the beginning of the story - without only considering the first 2 factors - glass is the best...interesting..... Unfortunately, glass is of course expensive, but reusuable. The twist off cap is the best at maintaining the integrity of the wine as it is a complete seal, but the metal has a much higher carbon footprint. As for the cork, it is more permeable so less favourable at maintaining the quality of wine and although the cork is compostable, it is not reuseable & the cork trees are getting more scarce. Ah, but when it comes to the romance of the wine, the cork wins out. Sune's advice was for the industry to start using glass, and for to us to start saving the corks. She suggests that we open the glass-sealed wine bottle in privacy, replace the bottle with a cork (as best as possible) and then open wine with a corkscrew in from of your loved one for the romance effect - I mean it is all about perception- *grin*! We were having a great time, but Sune felt bad as she was attending to another group that was a little more high maintenance then our table - so after the wine/cheese pairing was completed, she gave us an additional glass of rose each to enjoy and we sat and enjoyed the company and the view. It was truly another great day! We went home - relaxed and had a fabulous rest...oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, that we have been sleeping in a king size bed too! We were so spoiled in S.A. I told Julie that starting our 5 month trip in S.A. with her was probably not the best idea - we were so spoiled & we had the best of everything - nothing else will compare! I know, I know, each place will have thier own charm....I am just saying....
Day 4 was very busy....we started off by going up Table Mountain. The weather was outstanding - not a cloud in the sky & no wind - very unusual for the Cape this time of year - especially up Table Mt. Due to our little mishap with the arrival date - Heather & Arthur who were going to guide our hike up to the top of Table Mountain, were unable to do it another day. Instead we took the cable car up and walked around up top - we did hike down part of the way at devil's peak to give us a taste and to see the view a little differently - loved it! So much to see - too much to see - we did what we could and enjoyed the walk. We could see Robben Island clearly as well as the new statium for the world cup games. Surprisingly, one thing that I have not mentioned about Cape Town so far is that the sea coast is sooooo gorgeous - we saw this when Buz took us around and again when we were at the top of the mountain. We did put our toes in the sea (west side of the Cape of Good Hope - Atlantic Ocean side) - cold, but nothing compared to Bay of Fundy! The east side beaches are warmer (Indian Ocean side) although we did not test the waters there. Once we came down from Table Mountain we took the Robben Island tour. This is where Mandella was imprisoned along with many other black people fighting against aparthied. Robben Island was named by the Dutch explorers after the seals (several seals on the island). The word "seal" in Dutch is Robb - many Robb is referred to Robben. Due to the masacre of seals for their hide - few, if any seals would be seen or remain on the island today. Our tour quides were Kent (young S.A. student), Michael (Bus Driver) & our prison guide was Benjamin who was an actual prisoner on Robben Island. It was a 30 min boat ride to the island from the harbour in the city of Cape Town at the foot of Table Mt. Once on the island we had a brief bus tour & prison tour. A bit commercialized unfortunately, but the stories were real and interesting....& as everywhere in Cape Town, the people were incredibly friendly. During the tour the "usual suspects" were talked about (Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Desmond Tutu, etc.), but to be quite honest, as I listen to the stories, I do have a hard time remembering dates & names. I do have the book about Mandella to refer to for future as it is a very important event to remember. There were some stories that I did remember that were not in the book. There was a lady by the name of Helen Suman; with the government, that was intrumental in improving the conditions of how the prisoners were treated. As confirmed by Benjamin in our prison tour, he indicated that at the time of arrest he was physically handled (he did not say abused), but once in the prison, he was not physically abused at all. Having been imprisoned by expressing your views and having your rights taken away was devastating enough. Mandela had access to books and education, but most did not. Once the prison was closed, the prisoners insisted that the government make it into a museum and protect it - the story must not be forgotten! Because the prison was now a museum, some things were changed. Such as, the prison walls were painted to cover up some profanities & other graffiti. Because of these changes, I did not feel the effect as strongly as I thought I would. But two areas that I did feel it was in the quarries - this is where the prisoners were sent during the day to dig up limestone & granite - 8 hours in the hot sun with only a 30 min lunch break where they went into a small dug out cave for relief from the heat of the sun. They were forced to complete this hard labour - and if they could not handle the digging or the transfer of the limestone & granite they were punnished. The sun and heat were unforgiving - almost debilitating. The other area that sent shivers up the back of my neck, was the courtyard - it was still lined with the barbed wire with the guard tower at the end - it was barren and sad. Some prisoners were able to play sports, but the political prisioners were not. When we were inside the prison - Benjamin kept to the facts of the prison - what the prisoners did and how they communicated - he did not speak of his personal experiences unless asked. Of course the question of how he got to the prison was asked and he told the story - briefly. Benjamin's story got to me, not so much of because of what he went through; although this was very distressing, but because of his current life situation - given what he was initially fighting for and in prison for. Benjamin returned back to the prison to assist with the tours and to tell the stories that needed to be told. When asked why he came back - as I am assuming that there are not good memories for him - he simply said , "for employment" - he did not receive a proper education and did not have any other employment opportunities available to him - makes you wonder if it was all worth it - certainly not for Benjamin, but unfortunately in life it takes people like Benjamin to make change for the better. Benjamin as a young student in Soweto participated in a peaceful protest against the government for the treatment of blacks. During this protest he was not arrested, but during this same protest he witnessed his pregnant girlfriend visciously shot through her head with the gun aimed under her chin. Despite the protest being peaceful, because of the sheer number of peoople participating, the police were instructed by authorities to attack. The "numbers" alone posed a threat to the government enough for the action that they took - "strength in numbers" as they say! So for Benjamin he responded in revenge - not the best way to handle it, but with a sense of helplessness and rage - revenge seemed to be the best option at that time. Benjamin went to Germany and was trained in explosives with the intent to return t S.A. and blow up an oil refinery - get the government where it hurts - in their pocket books. Unfortunately, he hit the target, but the explosives did not ignite. He was caught and charged with treason. Treason he did participate in, but it is the facts and the events leading up to the treason that makes the story sad. Before I left I did ask Benjamin what he thought of and what his reaction was when Mendela addressed the Blacks (and the world)......".....Put down our guns......" Benjamin did not make eye contact with me, but put his hands behind is back, rocked back on his heels and said, "It was a necessity"!
I do believe that things have changed some and certainly, if Mandela reacted aggressively things would be much worse - a disaster, really, would have resulted - but unfortunately racisim, hatred and war still exist! There IS room for everyone in this world - We do not have to believe in everything that people believe in - but we do need to respect them - as we would like done for ourselves.
We finished our day off with dinner at Willowboughy's (sp?) with Julie and her friend; Ingrid. We had sushi with a glass of champagne ("oh sorry monsieur, sparkling wine"). We don't have champagne in Canada at a restaurant as the cost would be insane, but in S.A. it is very reasonable - and it is common to order a glass - you don't have to order a bottle. Oh yeah, sparkling wine made in S.A. *grin*!!! Most excellent too!
Our last day with Julie was spent relaxing, visiting and getting ready for our next leg of our adventure - Tanzania! We had the most fabulous time in S.A. with Julie - and as I said before, although this was our first time we met in person - you would have never known that - we laughed, told stories and developed a life-long bond for sure - we WILL be back!
We left S.A. on December 13, 2009 for Kilimanjaro, Tanzania...........the climb is right around the corner.......I can't believe it!!!!
Day 4 was very busy....we started off by going up Table Mountain. The weather was outstanding - not a cloud in the sky & no wind - very unusual for the Cape this time of year - especially up Table Mt. Due to our little mishap with the arrival date - Heather & Arthur who were going to guide our hike up to the top of Table Mountain, were unable to do it another day. Instead we took the cable car up and walked around up top - we did hike down part of the way at devil's peak to give us a taste and to see the view a little differently - loved it! So much to see - too much to see - we did what we could and enjoyed the walk. We could see Robben Island clearly as well as the new statium for the world cup games. Surprisingly, one thing that I have not mentioned about Cape Town so far is that the sea coast is sooooo gorgeous - we saw this when Buz took us around and again when we were at the top of the mountain. We did put our toes in the sea (west side of the Cape of Good Hope - Atlantic Ocean side) - cold, but nothing compared to Bay of Fundy! The east side beaches are warmer (Indian Ocean side) although we did not test the waters there. Once we came down from Table Mountain we took the Robben Island tour. This is where Mandella was imprisoned along with many other black people fighting against aparthied. Robben Island was named by the Dutch explorers after the seals (several seals on the island). The word "seal" in Dutch is Robb - many Robb is referred to Robben. Due to the masacre of seals for their hide - few, if any seals would be seen or remain on the island today. Our tour quides were Kent (young S.A. student), Michael (Bus Driver) & our prison guide was Benjamin who was an actual prisoner on Robben Island. It was a 30 min boat ride to the island from the harbour in the city of Cape Town at the foot of Table Mt. Once on the island we had a brief bus tour & prison tour. A bit commercialized unfortunately, but the stories were real and interesting....& as everywhere in Cape Town, the people were incredibly friendly. During the tour the "usual suspects" were talked about (Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Desmond Tutu, etc.), but to be quite honest, as I listen to the stories, I do have a hard time remembering dates & names. I do have the book about Mandella to refer to for future as it is a very important event to remember. There were some stories that I did remember that were not in the book. There was a lady by the name of Helen Suman; with the government, that was intrumental in improving the conditions of how the prisoners were treated. As confirmed by Benjamin in our prison tour, he indicated that at the time of arrest he was physically handled (he did not say abused), but once in the prison, he was not physically abused at all. Having been imprisoned by expressing your views and having your rights taken away was devastating enough. Mandela had access to books and education, but most did not. Once the prison was closed, the prisoners insisted that the government make it into a museum and protect it - the story must not be forgotten! Because the prison was now a museum, some things were changed. Such as, the prison walls were painted to cover up some profanities & other graffiti. Because of these changes, I did not feel the effect as strongly as I thought I would. But two areas that I did feel it was in the quarries - this is where the prisoners were sent during the day to dig up limestone & granite - 8 hours in the hot sun with only a 30 min lunch break where they went into a small dug out cave for relief from the heat of the sun. They were forced to complete this hard labour - and if they could not handle the digging or the transfer of the limestone & granite they were punnished. The sun and heat were unforgiving - almost debilitating. The other area that sent shivers up the back of my neck, was the courtyard - it was still lined with the barbed wire with the guard tower at the end - it was barren and sad. Some prisoners were able to play sports, but the political prisioners were not. When we were inside the prison - Benjamin kept to the facts of the prison - what the prisoners did and how they communicated - he did not speak of his personal experiences unless asked. Of course the question of how he got to the prison was asked and he told the story - briefly. Benjamin's story got to me, not so much of because of what he went through; although this was very distressing, but because of his current life situation - given what he was initially fighting for and in prison for. Benjamin returned back to the prison to assist with the tours and to tell the stories that needed to be told. When asked why he came back - as I am assuming that there are not good memories for him - he simply said , "for employment" - he did not receive a proper education and did not have any other employment opportunities available to him - makes you wonder if it was all worth it - certainly not for Benjamin, but unfortunately in life it takes people like Benjamin to make change for the better. Benjamin as a young student in Soweto participated in a peaceful protest against the government for the treatment of blacks. During this protest he was not arrested, but during this same protest he witnessed his pregnant girlfriend visciously shot through her head with the gun aimed under her chin. Despite the protest being peaceful, because of the sheer number of peoople participating, the police were instructed by authorities to attack. The "numbers" alone posed a threat to the government enough for the action that they took - "strength in numbers" as they say! So for Benjamin he responded in revenge - not the best way to handle it, but with a sense of helplessness and rage - revenge seemed to be the best option at that time. Benjamin went to Germany and was trained in explosives with the intent to return t S.A. and blow up an oil refinery - get the government where it hurts - in their pocket books. Unfortunately, he hit the target, but the explosives did not ignite. He was caught and charged with treason. Treason he did participate in, but it is the facts and the events leading up to the treason that makes the story sad. Before I left I did ask Benjamin what he thought of and what his reaction was when Mendela addressed the Blacks (and the world)......".....Put down our guns......" Benjamin did not make eye contact with me, but put his hands behind is back, rocked back on his heels and said, "It was a necessity"!
I do believe that things have changed some and certainly, if Mandela reacted aggressively things would be much worse - a disaster, really, would have resulted - but unfortunately racisim, hatred and war still exist! There IS room for everyone in this world - We do not have to believe in everything that people believe in - but we do need to respect them - as we would like done for ourselves.
We finished our day off with dinner at Willowboughy's (sp?) with Julie and her friend; Ingrid. We had sushi with a glass of champagne ("oh sorry monsieur, sparkling wine"). We don't have champagne in Canada at a restaurant as the cost would be insane, but in S.A. it is very reasonable - and it is common to order a glass - you don't have to order a bottle. Oh yeah, sparkling wine made in S.A. *grin*!!! Most excellent too!
Our last day with Julie was spent relaxing, visiting and getting ready for our next leg of our adventure - Tanzania! We had the most fabulous time in S.A. with Julie - and as I said before, although this was our first time we met in person - you would have never known that - we laughed, told stories and developed a life-long bond for sure - we WILL be back!
We left S.A. on December 13, 2009 for Kilimanjaro, Tanzania...........the climb is right around the corner.......I can't believe it!!!!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
...Is That Grown Here in South Africa?........
We arrived in Cape Town, S.A. on Tuesday Dec 8th - Julie was there to met us at the airport - there was no awkward moment at all - we hugged like old friends - like we have known each other for our whole lives. A very brief background - Julie is Delia's aunt and although we have spoken on the telephone and chatted over the e-mail, we have never met in person - but we got along so well - you would have never have guessed that! On a sad note.......I will keep it brief, but it is important to say - Julie's husband - Delia's Uncle; David, died in April 2009 due to cancer. Julie and David were not only married, but they were best friends, which is very rare these days. Although Delia's Uncle David was not there physically, I can assure you with all the good weather and great visit we had - I KNOW he was there in spirit watching over us. After hearing the stories of David - I know he was a great man and his memory will live on forever!
Just to set the stage for our S.A. visit and Julie spoiling us beyond belief.....she picked us up in her S Type Jaguar (parked in her garage beside her Jaguer E Type and behind the Jaguer E Type...notice a trend *grin*). Her home is gorgeous located in Fransch Hoek Estate in Franschhoek, S.A. - her home is surrounded by a young, but gorgeous garden, a pool and the Klein Drakenstein Wemmershoek Moutains in the background. This home was designed and built by David and Julie and is an absolute dream of a home! Julie is a beautiful, giving, generous & fun person with not an ounze of pretentousness - they worked hard for everything that they have. After our 11 1/2 hour flight we arrived at Julie's home and chatted & had a bite to eat. In the afternoon we went to Fairview Winery - one of the many wineries in S.A. As part of the wine tasting we also had S.A. cheese & olives - how divine! I really enjoyed the winery - everyone was very personable & made it a complete experience - tasted wine, cheese & olives, but also heard history of the wine & S.A. The on-going joke throughout our visit was ".......was that grown here in S.A......?" Wine, fruit, veggies, milk, cheese, beef, olives & more grown here in S.A - makes it easier for the "One Hundred Mile Diet"!
That night Delia BBQ'd steak on the brine (bbq - inside in the dining room - very cool). We had that along with an amazing fresh salad and of course - wine! Julie bought a selection of wine from Fairview that we liked - over the next few days, we took turns choosing a wine and the other two had to quess which one it was - not always right, but hey, we had wine to drink and we had fun doing it!
On Day 2 of our visit, Julie had organized a friend of hers; Buz, to take us around S.A. - he is a retired school teacher - he was extremely knowledgeable, funny & an amazing storyteller! One of the reasons Buz agreed to take us around is that Julie agreed that Buz could drive the Jag - *grin*!!! We toured around S.A. that is referred to the "Cape of Good Hope" or the "Cape of Storms" - named appropriately for the good fortune found on the Cape, but also for the many ship wrecks that happened (mainly due to human error, but the weather, tides and currents were unforgiving at times). Buz told us several stories, but I will stick with the ones relavent to the history of S.A. & the cape (I did log the stories for future if anyone is interested at a later date). A main landmark of Cape Town is Table Mt. The features of Table Mt provides bonified proof that Cape Town was indeed under water at one time. This is demonstrated by the horizontal lines (layers) created on Table Mt. Only water can make horiontal lines such as these. To continue in the creation of Cape Town, it is directly related to and has everything to do with sandstone, granite & water. Table Mt was forced upwards by the massive layer of granite rock with sandtone on top of the granite rock. To further explain how Cape Town became to be - I will step back & explain how Table Mt got it's name......Other then it's flat table top shape - there is a constant flow of cloud cover that covers the flat top of the mountain, resembling a table cloth over the table top......the clouds are so smooth looking, it really does look like a table cloth over the mt. Anyways, you will have to take my (or Buz's) word for it. With the constant flow of cloud over the mt - this causes condensation over the mountain - this condensation seeps into the sandstone and flows down until it reached the hard impermeable granite stone. Once at this level it forces the water horizontal and drains over the granite down canals to the bottom of the mountain; therefore, providing the vital part of life......water! So depsite the lousy harbour & more dangerous then other harbours - Cape Town was chosen for the source of water - sustainability of life! So the voyaguers, explorers & other famous (or infamous) politicians & leaders can say what they like on how great they were & how they created Cape Town - it really is all based on the geography- as most cities are. This includes the design of Cape Town as the roadways were buit around the granite. A few fast facts of Cape Town - 1st heart transplant in 1969, exports: wine, fruit & gold - wool was a major export, but was significantly affected by the Russian economy when it suffered a decline. Another iteresting fact for those "World Cup" fans - a woman by the name of Ms. Wineguard (okay, okay, I forgot her first name), owed land & specifically stated that the land should be used for parks and recreation only - this was one of the factors when S.A. was considering building the new statium for the 2010 World Cup - it was built on this land! In this same visit we saw the African Penguin (so damn cute) that was driven to almost extinction for the uncontrolled harvesting of the penguin eggs for food and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (beautiful)! Currently, the gardens not only has plants and flowers that are indigenous to S.A., but also plants and flowers from all over the world as they were given as gifts from royalty. It was decided although the goal is to have the entire gardens indigenous to S.A., the foriegn plants & flowers will complete their lifecycle and when they die they will be replaced by indigenous flowers. We ended our tour at Buz & his wife's Mary's home - we had a lager; Castle......mmmmmm good......made in S.A.?.....most definitely! When we got back to Julie's home we had a light dinner and another wine tasting - I hose Calera and Delia guessed right. Calera.....made in S.A.....? Absolutely!
Just to set the stage for our S.A. visit and Julie spoiling us beyond belief.....she picked us up in her S Type Jaguar (parked in her garage beside her Jaguer E Type and behind the Jaguer E Type...notice a trend *grin*). Her home is gorgeous located in Fransch Hoek Estate in Franschhoek, S.A. - her home is surrounded by a young, but gorgeous garden, a pool and the Klein Drakenstein Wemmershoek Moutains in the background. This home was designed and built by David and Julie and is an absolute dream of a home! Julie is a beautiful, giving, generous & fun person with not an ounze of pretentousness - they worked hard for everything that they have. After our 11 1/2 hour flight we arrived at Julie's home and chatted & had a bite to eat. In the afternoon we went to Fairview Winery - one of the many wineries in S.A. As part of the wine tasting we also had S.A. cheese & olives - how divine! I really enjoyed the winery - everyone was very personable & made it a complete experience - tasted wine, cheese & olives, but also heard history of the wine & S.A. The on-going joke throughout our visit was ".......was that grown here in S.A......?" Wine, fruit, veggies, milk, cheese, beef, olives & more grown here in S.A - makes it easier for the "One Hundred Mile Diet"!
That night Delia BBQ'd steak on the brine (bbq - inside in the dining room - very cool). We had that along with an amazing fresh salad and of course - wine! Julie bought a selection of wine from Fairview that we liked - over the next few days, we took turns choosing a wine and the other two had to quess which one it was - not always right, but hey, we had wine to drink and we had fun doing it!
On Day 2 of our visit, Julie had organized a friend of hers; Buz, to take us around S.A. - he is a retired school teacher - he was extremely knowledgeable, funny & an amazing storyteller! One of the reasons Buz agreed to take us around is that Julie agreed that Buz could drive the Jag - *grin*!!! We toured around S.A. that is referred to the "Cape of Good Hope" or the "Cape of Storms" - named appropriately for the good fortune found on the Cape, but also for the many ship wrecks that happened (mainly due to human error, but the weather, tides and currents were unforgiving at times). Buz told us several stories, but I will stick with the ones relavent to the history of S.A. & the cape (I did log the stories for future if anyone is interested at a later date). A main landmark of Cape Town is Table Mt. The features of Table Mt provides bonified proof that Cape Town was indeed under water at one time. This is demonstrated by the horizontal lines (layers) created on Table Mt. Only water can make horiontal lines such as these. To continue in the creation of Cape Town, it is directly related to and has everything to do with sandstone, granite & water. Table Mt was forced upwards by the massive layer of granite rock with sandtone on top of the granite rock. To further explain how Cape Town became to be - I will step back & explain how Table Mt got it's name......Other then it's flat table top shape - there is a constant flow of cloud cover that covers the flat top of the mountain, resembling a table cloth over the table top......the clouds are so smooth looking, it really does look like a table cloth over the mt. Anyways, you will have to take my (or Buz's) word for it. With the constant flow of cloud over the mt - this causes condensation over the mountain - this condensation seeps into the sandstone and flows down until it reached the hard impermeable granite stone. Once at this level it forces the water horizontal and drains over the granite down canals to the bottom of the mountain; therefore, providing the vital part of life......water! So depsite the lousy harbour & more dangerous then other harbours - Cape Town was chosen for the source of water - sustainability of life! So the voyaguers, explorers & other famous (or infamous) politicians & leaders can say what they like on how great they were & how they created Cape Town - it really is all based on the geography- as most cities are. This includes the design of Cape Town as the roadways were buit around the granite. A few fast facts of Cape Town - 1st heart transplant in 1969, exports: wine, fruit & gold - wool was a major export, but was significantly affected by the Russian economy when it suffered a decline. Another iteresting fact for those "World Cup" fans - a woman by the name of Ms. Wineguard (okay, okay, I forgot her first name), owed land & specifically stated that the land should be used for parks and recreation only - this was one of the factors when S.A. was considering building the new statium for the 2010 World Cup - it was built on this land! In this same visit we saw the African Penguin (so damn cute) that was driven to almost extinction for the uncontrolled harvesting of the penguin eggs for food and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (beautiful)! Currently, the gardens not only has plants and flowers that are indigenous to S.A., but also plants and flowers from all over the world as they were given as gifts from royalty. It was decided although the goal is to have the entire gardens indigenous to S.A., the foriegn plants & flowers will complete their lifecycle and when they die they will be replaced by indigenous flowers. We ended our tour at Buz & his wife's Mary's home - we had a lager; Castle......mmmmmm good......made in S.A.?.....most definitely! When we got back to Julie's home we had a light dinner and another wine tasting - I hose Calera and Delia guessed right. Calera.....made in S.A.....? Absolutely!
Monday, December 14, 2009
....Hugs and Wine is the Best Thing to Do Next....
....Ahhh...I did get you back - it really is not that interesting, but it got you back here didn't it......
I wrote that saying for a couple of reasons, one, because I loved it & two, because for what happened next in our travels... - Trust me, I will not dwell on it, but it is all part of our journey so it must be told - Delia and I have been planning this adventure for years - 5 years thinking, 2 years of serious saving and in January 2009 we put "pen to paper". So with all the preparations we did prior to our departure date one would think that our adventure would be "error free", but alas, we are all human & unfortunately mistakes happen - we were just hoping not this soon and not affecting so many people. Delia and I looked over our travel itinerary millions of times - checking, re=checking - times, places and when we would be meeting family & friends along the way.....but this is what hapened. We were in contact with Julie; Delia's Aunt from Cape Town, SA (she doesn't like being called that, I think because it makes her feel old, but she is anything but - tons of energy (we had a tough time keeping up to her), beautiful and tons of fun), the day before we were talking to Julie on the telephone insisting that we were going to meet her at Cape Town International Airport on Monday Dec 7th at 9am - knowing full well that we were not leaving Toronto until Sunday Dec 6th at 9pm, with a 7 hr flight to England, a 12 hr layover in England and an 11 1/2 hr flight to Cape Town - really - what were we thinking - hmmmmm...we weren't - even though it did not make sense to us in our heads - we did not stop to make sense of it - we had just enough sanity and energy to deal with what was next - I think it was lack of sleep and the shear realm of travelling for 5 months - as much as I wanted to do an adventure like this since I was a teenager - there is a certain amount of stress that comes along with it. I am sure that you can figure out the rest - so to keep the story short, it wasn't until we were going to board the plane to Cape Town that we realized our "brain pause" moment that we were not arriving in Cape Town until Dec 8th - by this time it was too late - we called Lorna to help us out and was just able to tell heher back she had enlisted more help from Sonia, My Mom & Dad and Anita - oh my gawd - I just wanted to yell really loud so they could all hear at once just for everyone to stop, but of course everyone being concerned and having only 1/2 the information - it got worse before it got better - ahhh, the art of communication and the chaos when it breaks down. I know what you are all thinking - I hear your thoughts from here - oh I don't know, something like........GET A CEL PHONE!!! I know, I know you are all right - we might come around by the time we get back who knows =) We did eventually figure it all out, Julie was there to meet us at the airport (AGAIN), and we had the most amazing time! And to relate to the saying at the end of the last entry - What Julie, Delia and I all did - was to give each other a big fat group hug, drove home and shared tons of stories had a glass of wine (South African wine at that ...mmmmm...) and "cheered" it all away! Good friends, good wine, good times and I think that choice would have resulted in an eagle shot!
I wrote that saying for a couple of reasons, one, because I loved it & two, because for what happened next in our travels... - Trust me, I will not dwell on it, but it is all part of our journey so it must be told - Delia and I have been planning this adventure for years - 5 years thinking, 2 years of serious saving and in January 2009 we put "pen to paper". So with all the preparations we did prior to our departure date one would think that our adventure would be "error free", but alas, we are all human & unfortunately mistakes happen - we were just hoping not this soon and not affecting so many people. Delia and I looked over our travel itinerary millions of times - checking, re=checking - times, places and when we would be meeting family & friends along the way.....but this is what hapened. We were in contact with Julie; Delia's Aunt from Cape Town, SA (she doesn't like being called that, I think because it makes her feel old, but she is anything but - tons of energy (we had a tough time keeping up to her), beautiful and tons of fun), the day before we were talking to Julie on the telephone insisting that we were going to meet her at Cape Town International Airport on Monday Dec 7th at 9am - knowing full well that we were not leaving Toronto until Sunday Dec 6th at 9pm, with a 7 hr flight to England, a 12 hr layover in England and an 11 1/2 hr flight to Cape Town - really - what were we thinking - hmmmmm...we weren't - even though it did not make sense to us in our heads - we did not stop to make sense of it - we had just enough sanity and energy to deal with what was next - I think it was lack of sleep and the shear realm of travelling for 5 months - as much as I wanted to do an adventure like this since I was a teenager - there is a certain amount of stress that comes along with it. I am sure that you can figure out the rest - so to keep the story short, it wasn't until we were going to board the plane to Cape Town that we realized our "brain pause" moment that we were not arriving in Cape Town until Dec 8th - by this time it was too late - we called Lorna to help us out and was just able to tell heher back she had enlisted more help from Sonia, My Mom & Dad and Anita - oh my gawd - I just wanted to yell really loud so they could all hear at once just for everyone to stop, but of course everyone being concerned and having only 1/2 the information - it got worse before it got better - ahhh, the art of communication and the chaos when it breaks down. I know what you are all thinking - I hear your thoughts from here - oh I don't know, something like........GET A CEL PHONE!!! I know, I know you are all right - we might come around by the time we get back who knows =) We did eventually figure it all out, Julie was there to meet us at the airport (AGAIN), and we had the most amazing time! And to relate to the saying at the end of the last entry - What Julie, Delia and I all did - was to give each other a big fat group hug, drove home and shared tons of stories had a glass of wine (South African wine at that ...mmmmm...) and "cheered" it all away! Good friends, good wine, good times and I think that choice would have resulted in an eagle shot!
...Ground Control to Major Tom........
...Heelluuuuuu....yes, we are here Ground Control!!! Well, that was interesting - did not really expect that for the beginning of our travels - we have been going out straight since the Friday before we left - and as Martha Stewart says..."and that is a good thing!" My Mom gave me a card when I was a teenager that said, "I keep meaning to work hard, I just keep finding more interesting things to do." A lousy apology, but Delia and I are having so much fun the blog is taking second fiddle - I will try to be better......
We did get off successfully, but not without some adventures before we even stepped out the door - without getting into details - we wanted to get our sofa couch out into the garbage before we left - however, the couch had other plans...so with a few laughs, grunts, the help of some sissors, a sledge hammer and a whole lot of tenacity - we (Delia, Anita and a little bit of my help - for the most part, I tried to stay out of it) got the couch out - but it was not pretty - the "couch from hell massacre"....anyone for a well loved couch - *grin* - Our good friend, Anita took us to the airport and those that know Delia and Taxi drivers - that was another lifesaver for sure.....PS Anita, it was not lost on us the extreme patience that you demonstrated - we must have looked like one complete ball of anxiety and excitement - this combination, I can assure you, does not lead to productivity - at least not quickly. We checked in and everything was great - no worries! First Stop; Heathrow, London, England!
I will break up the blog posts to attempt to keep your interest, but being only a 12 hr layover in Heathrow - I will include it here.
-----------
The flight was quite painless really, drank, slept, ate, slept - in that order - arrived in Heathrow Airport and took the "London Tube" or Underground - nothing particularily interesting or different from our own subway system, except of course the extensiveness of the underground system and it is very easy to use - we met up with Lorna Brooks; Delia's cousin - she is very knowledgeable of London so it made the tour much more interesting - had something hot to drink & hopped on the bus for a tour around London - Delia and I are not much for bus tours or cities, but with our 12 hr layover, being in "London Baby" and getting a chance to visit with Lorna - it was alot of fun!!! - I do find it difficult to retain details when I try to listen to facts, watch the sites and take pics (true tourist style for sure) - so we took it for what it was worth, thoroughly enjoyed the visit and saw some historical sites of London -Trafalgar square, Ritz Hotel (apparently it costs 70 Lb for tea there - yikes!), Hard Rock Cafe (original), Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Buckingham Palace, Westminister Abbey (I thought this was beautifu), Stand St (I think this is one of the most expensive places to buy things, but I might be wrong on this one - good memory - just short =( - St. Pauls' Cathedral, London Bridge, The Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Parliament Buildings & of couse the Thames River - London is beautiful and it has so much history, but we are "country girls" at heart for sure. When we go back, it will be to visit friends and family and to see more of the country side!
Okay, one last story before I sign off, to lead to my next blog entry (If I kept current, I wouldn't know that *grin*)............
As we were walking up from the Tube to the departures to head to Cape Town, SA, I saw an advertisement - it was a picture of Tiger Woods standing beside a golf ball, precariously sitting on a small patch of grass, surrounded by rocks & on a the edge of a cliff leading to water....the saying underneath read...."it is what you do next, that counts..."
....did I intice you enough to read on.....
We did get off successfully, but not without some adventures before we even stepped out the door - without getting into details - we wanted to get our sofa couch out into the garbage before we left - however, the couch had other plans...so with a few laughs, grunts, the help of some sissors, a sledge hammer and a whole lot of tenacity - we (Delia, Anita and a little bit of my help - for the most part, I tried to stay out of it) got the couch out - but it was not pretty - the "couch from hell massacre"....anyone for a well loved couch - *grin* - Our good friend, Anita took us to the airport and those that know Delia and Taxi drivers - that was another lifesaver for sure.....PS Anita, it was not lost on us the extreme patience that you demonstrated - we must have looked like one complete ball of anxiety and excitement - this combination, I can assure you, does not lead to productivity - at least not quickly. We checked in and everything was great - no worries! First Stop; Heathrow, London, England!
I will break up the blog posts to attempt to keep your interest, but being only a 12 hr layover in Heathrow - I will include it here.
-----------
The flight was quite painless really, drank, slept, ate, slept - in that order - arrived in Heathrow Airport and took the "London Tube" or Underground - nothing particularily interesting or different from our own subway system, except of course the extensiveness of the underground system and it is very easy to use - we met up with Lorna Brooks; Delia's cousin - she is very knowledgeable of London so it made the tour much more interesting - had something hot to drink & hopped on the bus for a tour around London - Delia and I are not much for bus tours or cities, but with our 12 hr layover, being in "London Baby" and getting a chance to visit with Lorna - it was alot of fun!!! - I do find it difficult to retain details when I try to listen to facts, watch the sites and take pics (true tourist style for sure) - so we took it for what it was worth, thoroughly enjoyed the visit and saw some historical sites of London -Trafalgar square, Ritz Hotel (apparently it costs 70 Lb for tea there - yikes!), Hard Rock Cafe (original), Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Buckingham Palace, Westminister Abbey (I thought this was beautifu), Stand St (I think this is one of the most expensive places to buy things, but I might be wrong on this one - good memory - just short =( - St. Pauls' Cathedral, London Bridge, The Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Parliament Buildings & of couse the Thames River - London is beautiful and it has so much history, but we are "country girls" at heart for sure. When we go back, it will be to visit friends and family and to see more of the country side!
Okay, one last story before I sign off, to lead to my next blog entry (If I kept current, I wouldn't know that *grin*)............
As we were walking up from the Tube to the departures to head to Cape Town, SA, I saw an advertisement - it was a picture of Tiger Woods standing beside a golf ball, precariously sitting on a small patch of grass, surrounded by rocks & on a the edge of a cliff leading to water....the saying underneath read...."it is what you do next, that counts..."
....did I intice you enough to read on.....
Saturday, November 14, 2009
...Departure Day is Almost here.......
To All Our Kings of New England and Princesses of Maine! We are new at this blogging thing so you will have to have patience - hence the practice round before we head out. Well, we can't believe that it is almost here....6 months off work and 5 months of travelling - most excellent!!! Although we will miss all our friends and family - and yes, we will miss you all....this is a lifetime dream for both of us. And come on - admit it - you are all jealous *grin*! I am sure that we will have to pinch each other once in awhile along the way to remind us that yes, it is really us that is travelling. We were asked recently what we were looking forward to the most about our travels and it was hard to say - everything really, but if we had to choose, it would have to be the people that we will meet along the way! We will try to keep regular contact and updates. I am sure that even with my lousy commentary, the stories will be interesting given the places that we will be going to - hope you enjoy some of it...anyways....
...we will be in touch again before we go....
B&D
xo
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