Cape Town

I arrived in Cape Town Tuesday, Aug. 18. Took the city shuttle from the airport and a Capetonian, who had just dropped off her American boyfriend, helped me get a cab to my AirBnB place in Bo Kaap. I imagined Joy to be this elderly woman owning a big house on a hill. However Joy is a young woman. Based on the pictures, I thought I was getting a small apartment in the back of the house. Now that I have been here a few days, I'm very happy with the place. It is set up on a hill, so we're not directly on the street, like most homes. From the street, there's a stone wall and a locked gate, then you walk up about 10 stairs. Joy has a 2-story place and then there are 3 flats attached. My first room has a table and chairs, 2 stuffed chairs and a kitchen on one wall. My second room is a bedroom and then a bath. I have a small porch. My doors are glass, then the second interior door are white bars. It's nice having direct access to the outside, something you wouldn't get in a hotel. Opposite me- up on a hill- are guys in a tent. I see their fire, every so often. Joy is very nice- I can use her phone. No sense getting a phone seeing as I know 2 people here. The other tenant is a German woman who has been here for a long time.

Bo Kaap was a Malay neighborhood, now it is getting gentrified. It's known for it's colorful houses- bright pink, green, yellow and blue stucco. Simple square houses. Weird walking out in the morning to see groups of tourists snapping their cameras. It's centrally located - I can walk most places. The call to prayer resonates about 4 am. Rain pounds the corrugated bathroom roof, but luckily it hasn't rained much.

Tuesday afternoon walked to the waterfront to get my ticket for Robben Island. The waterfront is like Boston or any other developed waterfront with tons of tourists and upscale restaurants, ferris wheel, etc. Went through the Robben Island Museum.

Wednesday morning went to the District 6 museum- all about a mixed, lower-class neighborhood in the center of the city that was evacuated to build a white neighborhood. They raised the neighborhood but never built the new one.

There's an international library conference in town (IFLA) so I'm meeting librarians everywhere. Met a librarian from Oman on the boat over. Robben Island is a beautiful island. We had a bus tour first. The best part was having a former prisoner give us the tour in the prison. Hard to understand what they went through. They had one bucket to relieve themselves- same one to bathe. They had to retrieve seaweed in the dead of winter. They liked working in the quarry mine because that was the only time they could talk to each other- they were always planning next steps.

On the boat back this young Irish girl told me about climbing Table Mountain. She said to take the taxi to the start of the trail and to take the cable car down. [more on this later.]

She also told me about the Watershed. I thought the waterfront just had touristy stuff. The Watershed really had quality crafts - everything there was beautiful...I'm glad I learned about it, but wish I had more $ to spend there!

People are very friendly. I found a shorter way with a pedestrian bridge to get to town- then this couple directed me to the Arts Center. The wind was so strong- it was like a hurricane.

I went to a performance of 14 school groups- they were fabulous- singing, dancing, rap, etc. From 2nd graders through high school. So interesting to see the mixed cultures here - black, white, Indian, head scarves...And the audience- full of parents was so responsive and engaged.

Checked TripAdvisor to select my Cape Point tour. Rob got good reviews. I met him at the Hilton Thurs morn, we picked up a couple from NYC with their 9 yr old son and then a retired librarian from Princeton. He talked non-stop, but when he brought us to a place he left us on our own for awhile. Everyone had said that Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point is the most spectacular...it was beautiful, but I kept thinking of the Oregon coast. The road heading down, south of Camps Bay was winding and amazing. They do incredible feats of preventing rock slides- lots of huge mesh covers all over the mountains. It was nice to walk on the beach a bit. Simon's Town really had nothing to offer.  We went to the penguin sanctuary- it was very well preserved. The terrain reminded me of Cape Cod. They had beautiful wooden boardwalks. The penguins were everywhere- they had what looked like plastic bunkers for them to next in.

It was sad to see the Zimbabweans waiting on street corners for work Rob also pointed out that they were selling stone sculptures along the roadway.

I was the only one who climbed to the lighthouse at Cape Point. It was a beautiful climb. All in all it was a good day- we were a small group- Rob allowed just enough time at all the spots. We had beautiful, sunny weather. There were lots of tourists around- sure wouldn't want to be here in the height of the season.

Thursday night, a Humphrey Fellow - Phoebe- took me out to dinner. She works in AIDS counseling We went to the waterfront mall- her husband was busy, she said she felt most comfortable eating in a mall. Turns out it was a lovely restaurant. I didn't feel too comfortable asking her about SA society - it was easy to talk with Zimbabweans about white and black culture. Here there again is a deep divide. Fancy shopping centers and guys sleeping in the parks. Clerks in the subway station warning me to only use an ATM in a mall, but I find the city quite safe. There are public policemen everywhere- very friendly, just carrying billy clubs. Guys will ask for a few rand for food and follow me a few steps, but then they walk away.