Nancy's Travel Adventures!

September 25, 2006 - South Africa

Today is Monday, a holiday in South Africa -- Heritage Day, so it has been a very busy traveling weekend. After our plans for Zambia fell through, we ended up staying in Johannesburg for three nights and catching up on emails, phone calls, getting back to civilization, etc. The first night we got to Jo'burg, after arriving at the Saxon very dusty, smelly and "rustic," we opted for room service and just some down time. It was very nice just to relax in our nice hotel room and not do much of anything. I read and Lindsey watched a movie.

Jo'burg, pretty much consisted of catching up and not doing a whole lot. We did, however, take a trip into Soweto, which is famous for a number of reasons: the student uprising back in '94, Nelson Mandella, Desmond Tutu, the townships there. Soweto's population is about 3 million people, 99.9% of which are native Africans (there are some white folks that have moved in but the driver told us it was about 4 families).

We walked around one of the townships (which they called squatters camp), which was very interesting. We were lead by a resident there, Lawrence, who is 22 and lives in a one-bedroom makeshift home with no electricity, no bathrooms, no running water, with his family of 8. He was very eloquent and very open about his roots. We took a short walk down the dusty path that on either side sat dilapidated homes with families too large to house them but somehow, they manage. They try to grow their own food, they share a water source and some even have the luxury of cupboards. As with Lawrence, there is no electricity, no running water and no private bathrooms. They have an outhouse that is shared by about 200 people per area. They try to find work on a daily basis to buy food, etc. but I feel like for most of them, this is all they know, so therefore it is OK. It was sad but there was a sense of community amongst them. They all watch out for each other and for some reason, it did not illicit feelings of guilt or sadness.... it is just life for them and they do manage. We also went by the house that Nelson Mandela had there, Desmond Tutu and Winnie Mandela (Winnie and Tutu both still have homes there).

That evening we went to Orient, a trendy restaurant in the "Melrose" area. I was so excited to have sushi and Lindsey was equally, if not more excited, to have some spicy Asian dishes. The interesting part of that evening was being approached by an Asian woman who was offering up massages while you wait for dinner. At first we declined but then Lindsey, always the one up for a little bit more spice and adventure, decided it would be a good story to tell. So, sure enough, we beckoned her over to work some magic on our very sore shoulders (keep in mind, we are lugging over 100 lbs of luggage to and fro, albeit with the help of drivers and bellman but still...). Lindsey was first and our very sweet and demure massuese dug in! I was next and as odd as it was, it was very therapuetic. Sure enough, people at the next table were ordering her very nimble hands to loosen them up before digging into their Bang Bang Duck!

We finally maganged to find flights to Cape Town (it is like trying to book a flight t0 Vegas on Super Bowl Weekend) on Sunday and we were off to a new destination! Cape Town is a cross between Newport Beach and San Francisco. It offers lots of restaurants, night life, shopping, beautiful people, sports cars and it is right on the ocean. Our first night out, we met with Rhett, who is a friend of Lindsey's family from Hawaii. Rhett was on the swim team at U of H and he ended up living in their backhouse when (I think) he was helping Casey with swim team at his high school. At any rate, Rhett, now lives in Cape Town and is very fond of the Ueberroth family and acts as sort of an older brother to Lindsey. He took us out to what he calls a "spunky"bar in Cape Town and boy was it spunky! We drive up to a very crowded bar that is reminiscent of a cross between Sharkeez/Landshark on a Thursday night. The line was long, so we went next door for a few cocktails and then made our way into the bar late night. No matter where you are at, the nightlife is still the same. Lots of drunk people (present company exlcuded of course), loud music, longingly looks in people to meet someone.... typical. I really did feel like I was home (minus my comfortable bed that Deb is now sleeping in, my cuddly cats -- that Deb is now sleeping with and the name Quiet Woman outdoors on the bar or on the matchbooks). But it was fun to go out and see the "spunky" bar and have a great introduction to Cape Town.

Today, I cruised around the shopping mall and had my first "Mexican" meal in a long time. The menu did not exactly reflect an El Torito-salsa stained-menu but I was just happy to see guacamole on the list of supposed "authentic" Mexican cuisine. WhenI asked the sweet African waitress named Rosetta ( I should have known, an African Woman with the name Rosetta at a Mexican Restaurant -- ah the deception!), what was on the Vegetarian Burrito, I got a list of ingredients that sounded like they were on the menu of Daphne's (a Greek restaurant for those who are not familiar with it) instead. So, I took matters in my own hands and created what I wanted. When I told her I wanted a burrito with beans, cheese, salsa, and guacamole, Rosetta looked at me like I had just told her Nelson Mandellla was a porn star. I so wish I could have captured this look and posted it on the website. She could not understand why I wanted beans wrapped in a tortilla with just those ingredients. I finally told her to throw in veggies so that we could say it truly was a veggie burrito. It was not quite like home but close enough. I did have to convince her that this was indeed they way the Mexicans did it. She just stared back with a look of complete disbelief.

Despite a somewhat Mexican meal, I am becoming a bit tired and little bit home sick. Eating three meals out a day from restaurants or hotels, packing your bags to move from hotel to hotel, destination to destination, and a fear of the unknown sort of gets to you (esp at the ripe old age of 29.... well most of you know my real age). Some of my plans are not quite unfolding the way I had planned, so I am now looking at Plan B. I know all will work out but I am a bit stressed. I guess it is the planner in me of the unknown but this is part of the reason I embarked on this adventure, to shake things up! I do miss the routine of my daily life in NB -- working out, having a kitchen, the welcome laughter of Zach/Katie and being greeted by Anne every day after work, are things that I really miss. Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful for this opportunity but I think I am allowed a little time to miss home and the comforts of what has become my normal schedule. OK, enough of this!!

Tomorrow we are going to the Twelve Apostles Hotel, which will be very nice. (http://www.12apostleshotel.com/) It is pretty much right on the ocean (and it is whale season right now, so we will see lots of whales!) and has a great spa! The rest of the time that Lindsey is here (she leaves on 10/1) we plan on going whale watching, wine tasting and spending more time with Rhett. Should be fun!

posted by Nancy Chapman @ 10:09 AM