Usually when I head home I make sure to have packed in everything and anything into my near ending trip. 12 days in Buenos Aires last year left me satisfied and complete. Wow, is South Africa different.
Everyone I spoke to before and during the trip couldn't believe I was doing SA in 9 days. I wasn't bothered, "I'm efficient" I said. I only hope those people walked away laughing at me, anything else wouldn't have made sense.
Luca, my official local tour guide extraordinaire, planned the trip ahead of time. She sent me ideas and routes and I just nodded in agreement to whatever it was. In fact, I pretty much had no clue what I was walking into. My two requests: wine and animals. There is something refreshing about coming to a place with zero expectations and seeing everything for the first time without any preconceived notions.
If I even attempted to list everything we did my head would spin. But I can share some impressions, in no particular order:
The racial differences throughout the country are stark. It seems as two worlds try to live in the same place at the same time but as I see it, the worlds live absolutely separately without even pretending to communicate with one another. One world is in cities full of life, restaurants and possibilities. Another (about 80% of the overall population) in slums made of metal siding, garbage bags and cloth waiting for the day the government comes in to kick them out. Every so often the Xhosa are told to leave their informal settlements or "townships" as they are called. But to where? There is no housing or opportunities so they pack up their few belongings and move to another area to start over. If there was ever a place where education was so desperately needed, this is it. Birth control is rare and as men work for minimal wages (annual family income is around $1800) women stay home and care for the kids. And the cycle continues, right?
Not a single local engaged with me about politics (what a change from traveling in Europe!) In fact, it seemed as the American pop culture doesn't quite reach that far. Other than the random Taylor Swift song I felt like I was really really far away.
Parts of South Africa are just like the Bay Area. Gondola of Heavenly? Got it. Forests of Tahoe? Of course. Kalk Bay = Sausalito. Knysna = Monterey's Fisherman Wharf. Garden Route along the beach = Hwy 1. The comparisons go on and on. But of course the fun isn't in the similarities but in the differences.
The Swartberg pass is a road after which one attaches a bumper sticker "I survived the Swartberg pass!!!" Indescribable beauty of mountains and complete silence once the car's engine is shut off. The only sound is of birds in the air. No pictures we took will ever do justice of the grandiosity of the pass or show how tiny two humans are against the rocks.
While at South Africa's #1 botanical garden Kirstenbosch I learned that Missouri has one of the best gardens in the world. Who knew? Next stop Missouri? I'll think about it.
Things one can run into while driving on the freeway: people, turtles, kudus, baboons, cows, sheep, goats, horse and carriage. On the side of the road are ostriches, zebras, camels and springboks. Buzee!
Looking into Nelson Mandela's cell where he spent 18 years of his life makes you feel history. Anytime you travel you learn about the history of a place but this was different. Yes, it's important to know what happened in 1794 but it seems so far away. Learning about the apartheid and the events that took place at Robben Island in 1992 or 1995 feels like yesterday. I was alive for that. I immediately ordered a book written by Christo Brand. He was a prison worker who bonded with Mandela even though they were on the opposite sides of the fight. I'm fascinated and I'm looking forward to reading it at home.
Elephants are beautiful, gargantuan, kind animals. Until you see one walking by your car less than a meter away. And your windows are open. And he makes eye contact. Mommy, I was scared.
When the Xhosa get married the man has to give the father of the bride a cow. Our tour guide for the Addo National Elephant Park impregnated his lady before marrying her. He had to pay the cow and much more for the extra damages. I caught myself thinking "How is this possible? It's 2015. Cows? Damages?" But then I had to slow down and remember that just because we do something a certain way it doesn't apply to others. No matter the year. I feel like my ex owes my dad a cow. No? Too late? Darn.
Penguins are pretty amazing when they are out and about, frolicking on the beach. I was a tad embarrassed to be so over the top excited about seeing them. I'm pretty sure they are like squirrels to locals but man, if I didn't photograph every single one.
Cape Point is a dramatic spot where you are on top of a rock formation with Atlantic on one side and Indian Ocean on the other. Winds are insane and it's another spot where pictures would only show you half of the fun. That being said, Luca took some epic pictures that show none of the beauty and all of the wind. Scroll below.
One amazing rooibos latte can change your life. I'll be chasing to find another to replicate it forever. Better yet, I'll come to Cape Town and get it again.
Speaking of... Wow, South Africans know how to eat. Of course, I've had a huge advantage of being with local 24/7 but no meal was mediocre. From the South African national dish of bobotie (I found a place in SF that has it!) to eating a traditional braai (BBQ of ostrich, kudu and pork) at a house of a local chef to exquisite dried mangos to oysters so fresh I could taste the sea every meal was memorable. Ok, this is where I bust out my "I'm from the Bay Area" card. We are food snobs. We have incredible food. It's affordable. It's everywhere. It takes a lot to impress me. And South Africa did it times ten. We ate when we weren't hungry because it was going to give me another opportunity to get fat err.... try something new. I made sure to try everything South African in sight. My birthday lunch was topped off with malva pudding and my birthday dinner with a milk tart. Damn right, it was my birthday and I could have two desserts if I wanted to!
Caves. We must talk about the caves. The advertisement looked awesome but the pamphlet said that the tour was for lean people only. Umm, see paragraph above. I decided to try it anyway. I could suck it in or something. We were going through the instructions and how to navigate through the tiny openings (sliding, crawling, rock climbing) when the guide decided to tell us the story of a larger lady who got stuck for 11 hours. How they needed to lube her out. I was trying to make eye contact with Luca as in "get me out of here! I can't do this!" Yeah, she ignored me and I put on my big girl pants and did it. Wow, it was amazing. First of all, I fit. Second of all, we got a work out. And most importantly, it was super fun. Renée, I can't wait to hear your opinion.
We toured an ostrich farm and those things are strong and scary. They are no one I'd want to meet in a dark alley but they taste good, so there is that.
We had a private tour of the Addo. Simni (yes, the one with the cow) drove Luca's car for 5 hours and we got the most incredible view of the animals. Everyone talks about South Africa's Big Five: lion, rhino, buffalo, elephant and leopard. Addo has the first four and we got to see buffalo and the elephants. No, we weren't sad about the lack of others. Rhinos are never seen (we weren't even allowed to know how many there were) and for a park that stretches 35 km south to north finding one of 11 lions seemed like a crazy game of luck. We saw kudus, warthogs galore, zebras, jackals, elands, vervet monkeys, turtles, birds and of course, the animals of the hour, elephants. 350 pictures later, I hope I captured some of their good sides.
One of unexpected highlights was the Tsitsikamma National Park. Try saying that a couple times fast. It's fun. The foresty park is full of activities with beautiful waves hitting the rocks of the Indian Ocean and the gorge of the Storms River. I'd like to come and spend a week camping there. Kayaking, zip lining, relaxing and admiring its natural beauty. But instead, we spent about an hour hiking through the trails, walking over a suspension bridge (I didn't scream!) and having a picnic on the rocks looking out at the ocean.
This has been one incredible week where I only got to scratch the surface of this beautiful country. In my la-la fantasy land I'd like to come here for a month or two, have zero plans and see where the car and train take me. Every turn, road and town has something to offer. Each park different from the one before. Landscapes change rapidly, you can't look away from the window. Wifi is crappy which is a bonus during vacations. People can't wait to show off their country and in turn, that makes you want to see it more and more.
Four of the eight nights we stayed at different locations we found through airbnb. The website has changed the way I travel and there is nothing like staying at a stunning farmhouse or being invited for dinner with a local family, exchanging stories and laughs. My favorite question this week was always "how do you two know each other? One is from Cape Town and the other from California." We met in Argentina. We rented the same airbnb apartment in Buenos Aires and clicked. I can only hope to repay Luca some day and show off the country I call home. After all, it's the only country that would give me the opportunity to travel to South Africa.
