I’ve started experiencing a lot of ‘last times’ – last time meeting as a team, last time being together with everyone, last time in Nairobi and Mwanza, sigh. I headed up to Nairobi first thing Wednesday morning from Arusha – my first bus ride all alone (my last first I hope – don’t enjoy traveling alone!). I met up with my cousin, Martin, currently working with DIGUNA (stands for ‘the Good News’) doing all sorts of crazy things around Kenya. I hadn’t seen him in two plus years and the first time we see each other again is in Nairobi of all places! I was thrilled it all worked out. He ended up picking up my Mum with me from the airport. It was so good to see my Mum again! Crazy to see her here!!! And she made it with no difficulties or lost luggage. We only had a few hours sleep before we were on our way back to the airport to catch a flight to Capetown. Everything felt so surreal, seeing my Mum, going to Capetown to see my aunt, especially after months of dreaming about this trip, planning it, and then actually having it happen. My aunt, Hillie, was waiting for us at the Capetown airport and whisked us off to her beautiful home in a posh, oops, ’larney ’, part of town. Our first meal was at this amazing beachfront restaurant in Camps Bay. The sunset was gorgeous breaking in over the crashing waves. This place is so much like Vancouver, just the vibe, the weather, the landscape.
We visited Robben Island, the prison Nelson Mandela called home for 18 years along with many other political prisoners fighting the apartheid regime. It was sobering and encouraging to know that their sacrifices brought about the reversal of years of oppression, racism, and injustice. We took a drive along the coastline to my aunt’s and her partner’s Oceanside ‘cottage‘. The views were absolutely stunning and they have the cutest village shops. We had a ‘braii’, Afrikaans for BBQ. I sampled my first ostrich steak – it’s not bad. It’s all the rage in South Africa because they have an overabundance of ostriches and it’s much healthier than beef apparently. Sunday morning caught us in a downpour and thankfully sitting inside a van on a Township Tour. When the apartheid regime was formalized, South Africans were designated as ‘White’, ‘Malay’, ‘Coloured’, or ‘Black’ with many sub-categories. Based on your ‘colour coding’, you had your choice of areas to live in. You can imagine where ‘Blacks’ were allowed to live. The disparity in living conditions can still be seen today although some integration has happened. It was eye-opening to walk thru one of the hostels containing 16 people sharing bathrooms, communal living area, and bunks. We also toured Manenberg, a poverty- and crime-ridden township, with Proudly Manenberg, a grassroots NGO working to improve the living conditions of the residents. They have some very innovative and creative projects from community gardens to a sewing co-op. We spent a day touring Capetown’s famous wine country and enjoyed the haute cuisine. The icing on the cake was our time on Table Mountain, Capetown’s world-renowned landmark. It was a clear sunny day with very little wind, unusual for this towering rock. We wandered the paths along the edge and saw the Atlantic Ocean from one side and the Indian Ocean from the other! Absolutely breathtaking! I loved every minute of my time in Capetown, hanging out with my Mum and my aunt, bombing around in her Minnie and seeing all sides of the city.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment