Townships

When you arrive at the airport in Cape Town this is the first thing you see. Scattered throughout the suburbs of Cape Town are the townships where hundreds of people live. They have electricity but that is about it as far as infrastructure. There is a big problem with people moving from other African countries and this is where they land. There is a dirth of affordable housing in the city and very few jobs for those with no marketable skills. The city just codefied a Black Empowerment program that is intended to provide training and business development opportunities.

We were stuck in traffic after picking Susie up from the airport and witnessed this hilarious scene. These three rather large women were trying to cross the road - a 6 lane highway! - and were having a difficult time heaving their bottoms over the barricade. This is a common scene and you have to be very careful as people walk (stroll!) across the highway as if it is a typical street crossing.

Mossel Bay, Plett and Storms River

We took a quick trip up the Garden Route on the east coast of the cape peninsula. Mossel Bay is a popular spot for vacationing farmers from inland provinces. They all camp out next to the beach creating quite a chaotic beach scene. We found this super fun swimming hole - the waves come crashing in, bash against these vertical rock faces and fill up the spaces in between. You time it so that when you jump in (they have diving boards built off the rocks) the current carries you down the shoot. When we first arrived these kids had climbed out onto the rocks and were jumping from the rocks - totally insane! A quick stop for lunch in Kynsna (nizna) and then onto to Victorias Bay. We were expecting a quiet beach scene but it was a bit crazy so we headed onto Plett - an upscale beach town that was quiet and pleasant. The next day we headed up to Storms River National Park. This is where the Storms River meets the Indian Ocean. We hiked to this suspension bridge to view what was supposed to be a tumultuous meeting of the two water bodies.....beautiful yes, tumultuous no. A quick swim, some lunch and an 8 hour drive back to Cape Town with an overnight stop in the Afrikaans town of Swellendam. We were expecting the garden route to be lush and pristine but the hillsides have been mostly stripped of trees (nice African yellow woods and other hard woods have been pitifully replaced with dinky pines) and the towns developed with second homes. We heard about the famous Oregon Pine that is a sought after material used for cabinetry - pretty wild considering most people have no idea where ORYGON is!

Somerset West, The Strand and Gordon's Bay

Somerset West is a suburb to the east of Cape Town also in the winelands but closer to the coast. We had a nice visit with Elbe and Danie Hofmyer, their family, their great dane Rex, their two horses, 5 chickens, 2 cats, guinea fowl and geese.

Carols by Candelight in Kirstenbosch Gardens

Singing and the story of baby jesus. We recorded some of the carols on our cell phone but the files are too big to send. You will just have to use your imagination! Kirstenbosch is a beautiful botanical garden on the back side of Table Mountain. The grounds are beautiful. Susie got into the Christmas spirit by purchasing a santa hat and a blinking santa necklace for each of us. We noticed they do not sing Frosty the Snowman - for obvious reasons.

Cape Winelands: Constantia

Anthony's mom Susie arrived on the 13th. We celebrated her birthday on the 14th and then ventured out into the nearby Constantia Winelands. Only 15 minutes from downtown Cape Town these are the original wine farms in this region. This area was established by Simon van der Stel in 1685 and produces both white and red wines inlcuding Sauvignon Blancs, Semillon, Semillon/Sauv Blanc blend (yummy), Shiraz (yummy) and Cab Savs. We had a lovely Rose at Groot Constantia. For some reason we are enjoying pink wines - it must be the heat. Also try the Constantia Uitsig which makes a very nice Chardonnay in addition to Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Constantia is very lush compared to the coastal part of Cape Town where we are staying. The "table cloth" of clouds gets caught on Table Mountain and releases more moisture on the back side of the mountain.

Cape Winelands: Stellenbosch

Cape Winelands: Franschhoek

Wow! I was not expecting this when i thought of S. African winelands. Only 45 minutes from downtown Capetown, Franschhoek is nestled in these gorgeous mountains with vineyards creeping up the hillsides and charming Cape Dutch buildings dotting the landscape. We visted a larger vineyard first - Boschendal. They have been producing wine for over 300 years and have some unique offerings. In addition to sampling the Chenin Blancs and Sauvignon Blancs that this region is known for, we tried the refreshing Blanc de Noir, which was developed in the 80s and, just like fashion, have come back into style with much better results! They also produce a nice Shiraz.We also sampled a Pinot Noir at the Chamonix wine farm and although tasty it does not have the same je ne sais quoi as the Oregon pinots.

Settled by fleeing French Hugenots in 1685, Franschhoek (French Corner)is not only known for its wines but for its exceptional restaurants. We'll be going back to Franschhoek to sample some of those soon!