Some Observations

Hello again, and thanks to all those who have been reading and commenting so far. Lately, since we've had a bit of driving and down time due to some bad weather, I've been doing some reflecting over the last month of traveling through SA. I thought I'd just write a few things about this country that I have found particularly interesting and different and/or similar to the USA.

First, among the many problems facing this country, crime and unemployment are near the top of the list. I don't know the statistics, but a few observations will tell you all you need to know. There are no self service petrol (gas) stations. And if there are 10 pumps at a station, there are probably ten people (so far mostly men--black men) awaiting your arrival. They fill your tank, wash your windows, and check your oil and tires if you want. Then you give them a tip, 2 to 6 Rand usually (about 25-80 cents US). Also, in some places there are no parking meters. Why would you need them when you can gainfully employ 3-5 people per block to walk around (rain or otherwise) with a little electronic meter and collect a very small fee for street parking. And if you exceed the time you paid for when you parked? No need to worry, just pay the difference when you decide to leave.

There are also people who patrol the parking lots to "watch your vehicle" in order to prevent any break ins. You can tell him, "No thank you," if you like. After all, isn't my car just as safe as the one next to it that he IS watching? But that's not the point. Once you're done grocery shopping or whatever you flip him a couple Rand and go on your way. One night in Plettenberg Bay I only had a 5 Rand coin, so I gave it to my "watcher." He must have thought I was some kind of high roller because he stopped traffic on main street to allow me to back out of my parking spot.

Essentially, everywhere you turn there are jobs that require zero skill or labor being done because of the crime and unemployment. It's very interesting indeed.

Secondly, driving. It can be quite an adventure sometimes. I cannot overstate how convenient it has been to have our own car the last three weeks, but it doesn't come without challenges. Signs can be pretty poorly placed, or not there at all. I especially like the ones that tell you to turn right (which is across traffic here) AFTER the intersection! It's tough then because it's not like there are crossroads all over place to turn around--I mostly just make U-turns on the highways. But the the roads offer one of my favorite contradictions in Africa so far. Pretty much everywhere we've been so far the pace of life has been casual at best. Nobody really seems to be in a hurry. Your server at a restaurant, or waitron, doesn't even bring the bill unless you ask for it. Unlike Applebee's where you get the check three bites into your entree so the next family can stand there watching your booth like it's made of mozzarella sticks. But NOT on the highways here in SA. To generalize a little, I'd say, "put a South African behind the wheel and suddenly he's in the biggest hurry of his life."

The speed limit on most of the paved, main two-way highways is 120 km/hr (about 75 mph). Those roads would be 55 max in the states. But speed limits are completely irrelevant anyway. There are photo/radar combos that can take your picture and send you a speeding ticket in the mail, but they are posted so you can slow down if you care. Also, the cops cannot pull you over (because cop cars get hijacked and then the criminal takes your car) so drivers pretty much just drive as fast as they feel like. Therefore, the custom is, if someone pulls up behind you going faster than you are, you drive over onto the shoulder (at 75 mph) so he can pass, like golfing basically, the faster players are allowed through. Then this very polite exchange takes place where the passer flashes his hazards and the passee flashes his bright lights to acknowledge the gesture. It sounds nice, and it is. But still, these people drive like crazy bastards that just committed a capital crime, for the most part.

Finally, since I'm running a little short of Internet time here, is the really cool, relaxed atmosphere of places we've been staying. Whether a run of the mill backpackers hangout or a fancy B&B (we've stayed at two really nice ones), the system astounds me. When you check in, they take your name and maybe your passport number, which are given voluntarily. No ID check, no credit card for incidental charges. You could easily drive away in the morning without paying and they'd have zero chance of catching you. But that's how it's done. Think about trying to check into a Holiday Inn Express at 9:00 PM and saying, "'I'm a little tired, is it OK if we take care of everything in the morning?" That's not out of the ordinary here. It's the norm.

OK, I thought of a few more things on the road I'm sure, but they seem to be eluding me at the moment. I'm sure Kim will write a post soon updating our progress, but for now just be assured that we're safe and having a great time. We'll be meeting up with Kim's family in a few days in Mozambique for a week of SCUBA, fishing, and relaxing. Then it's onward up the east African coast without our own transportation. Should be interesting.

PS. Kim says everyone that comments on this post will get a postcard. (You might need to include your mailing address.) And make sure to check out our pictures HERE.

Penguins, Whales, Dossies...

It's overwhelming trying to decide where to start writing. We've covered a lot of ground and seen a lot since the last post. We have already been on countless breathtaking drives through mountain passes, along cliffsides that go straight down to the ocean, through vineyards, and of course through the tin shack townships that go as far as the eye can see.

After leaving Stellenbosch we drove out to Cape Point National Park and hiked to the southern most point of the Cape Peninsula. Then we visited the penguins in Simonstown! Their nickname is the Jackass Penguin. This was the third time I've gone to see them, but it wasn't until Michael pointed out they sound just like donkeys, that I finally got the connection!

Cape Town is as beautiful as always, and we got to enjoy it from a Bed and Breakfast across from Table Mountain. We've actually been spoiling ourselves quite a bit, so far, with meals and lodging. Michael skipped LOTS of rocks, and we saw our first WHALE! It was jumping and spraying and slapping its tale for a long time, just for us, I think.

We went to a couple of museums in Cape Town, including the District Six Museum, which records the forced removal of black and coloured (the term they often use here, including in the museum) people from in the city. We spent sometime at the posh Waterfront, and we saw a play at the University of Capetown. It was an adventure to try to find the theater in the rain and without a detailed map. We got there in time but only to discover that about ten percent of the dialogue was in English!

After that we spent a night in Hermanus which is supposed to be the best place in the world for land based whale watching. Technically they say their whale season starts next month, but we saw one! Then we went to Oudtshoorn where there are Ostrich Farms everywhere. Turns out Michael loves to eat ostrich at least as much as me, so we've had ostrich steaks several times. It's a lean red meat and is delicious, so try it if you ever see it on a menu.

Maybe he loves ostrich more than me.

Today we did an awesome hike called Kingfisher Trail in Wilderness. We saw lots of birds, some big and colorful, and heard lots of different bird calls while we ate our peanut butter sandwiches and dried fruit by the river. We bought some cheese on the side of the road on our way to Plettenburg Bay, where we're sleeping tonight. I think we're hiking again tomorrow.

Dinner, Hiking, Lesotho, and So Much Driving

It sure has been an action packed 10 days or so. Kim and I went into the Masoyi community a couple times with people from Hands at Work. First, we went to the GOLD program. This is a peer education program where some of the more motivated teens get together to discuss issues that are facing their community. The discussion that day was about whether or not condoms should be distributed in the high schools (they currently are). Shockingly, 24 of the 25 students in the classroom said they thought condoms should not be available at school. "It makes students think about sex instead of school" they said, "plus, condoms are not 100% safe." Simply mind boggling. After asking them a few questions, Kim and I found it clear that their critical thinking skills just aren't there. "Do you think students wouldn't have sex or think about sex if there were no condoms?" we asked, and got some pretty perplexed looks in return. This continent has a very long way to go in its HIV/AIDS fight.

We also got a chance to have dinner at Brooke and Jed's host family's place. The matriarch's name is Ma Flo. She's a pretty amazing woman. She works for Masoyi Home Based Care. We had a really nice meal and got a chance to meet her family. Both of her daughters are either finished or in college and are really engaging people. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed the chance to see where Brooke and Jed started their time in Mpumalanga.

The next weekend we decided to hike the Blyde river canyon hiking trail. It's a 30k, three day/two night hike. The brochure said you would need a "responsible degree of fitness" to complete some of the trail's more strenuous sections. Well, I guess Africans have a different definition of "responsible" than Americans. Some parts of that trail were down right nasty. The first day was only 3k, then about 13.5k each of the next two days. Day 2 was especially challenging as we hiked into and out of the canyon (3rd largest in the world) twice. But it was totally worth it in the end. The mountains and waterfalls were the stuff postcards are made of. The rest camps were furnished with firewood, cooking pots, and bunkhouses. What an excellent yet exhausting weekend.

After two plus weeks with Brooke and Jed, Kim and I spread our wings a little and struck out on our own. We rented a little VW Chico and headed for Lesotho. We planned to spend the first night with a Peace Corps Volunteer that Kim's friend Emily set us up with. It was a long and rainy drive, and when we got there we found that our cell phone didn't work . So we were stuck. We knew we were in the right place, but didn't have any way to contact Becky so she could let us in the gate. Well, finally Kim had the courage to walk up to a house (read cinder block structure that probably wouldn't qualify as a house in the U.S.) that had some lights on. Turns out that the girls living there were students of Becky's and were able to help us get a hold of her. Our Lesotho adventures didn't end there however. We wanted to see the dinosaur footprints that we read about in our guide book. The directions were pretty simple, drive to point 'A' and ask someone there to show you where they are. We found the village OK, but I wasn't sure the Chico was going to make it up that rocky, winding road. Eventually we saw a group of men, and asked them if they could show us where the dinosaur footprints were. One of them, Alex, volunteered his services. He let us park our car in his yard, and guided us up about 2k of basically vertical mountain terrain. Eventually we made it to the top, and got a once in a lifetime chance to see these.

Then we headed for Stellenbosh. About 1200k later we made it. We've already had a couple of great meals, and we plan to visit a few wineries tomorrow. This town has a really relaxed vibe and is very comfortable. We'll spend a couple more days here before heading to Cape Town. Then, it's onward up the southern coast to hit a few beach towns and hopefully see some whales! Until next time...(you can check out some more pictures HERE.)