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Goodbye South Africa
Sunday, 04 March 2007
I hiked up to Table Mountain with six friends. We left just before sunset and reached the top by the light of full moon. We stayed in a hut that had two rooms, two fireplaces, a nice hard wood floor, comfy sleeping pads, tables and benches. We ate some dinner and met some people traveling from Sweden. I woke up to the sunrise and enjoyed some rusks and warm rice milk. We hiked back down the extremely steep trail. It’s amazing that the top of the mountain is so easily accessible. There are endless ways to explore the mountains here; be it hiking, biking, or climbing. Speaking of bikes, I managed to borrow one in order to get to the bookstore at the mall. On the way there I felt inspired to write my own book entitled “Berserk Biking at its Best”. In the book each chapter would be dedicated to an absurd experience I’ve had while biking in a foreign country. The chapter titles thus far would be:
- Busting Through Pedicured Shrubs - Bermuda
- Two Kids, One Guy, a Woman, and a Monkey - Thailand
- You Want Me to Cross Here?! - Italy
- Too Steep to Creep - Lorne, Australia
- The Pothole Ate My Bike - Mexico
- Four Blocks in 45 Minutes - Tokyo, Japan
- Red Dirt Makes You Sink - Kauai, Hawaii
- Orange Buses, Black Smoke, Stop Means Go - South Africa
I leave for England tomorrow. It’s been 32 days. The two things that have stood out the most have been the amazing natural beauty in this country and the large amounts of poverty. As I’ve mentioned before, the scenery here is unbelievable. The mountains surround the city and make room for quaint coves and smaller communities in the suburbs. The ocean is a brilliant blue and the sky is always changing. Table Mountain has its own weather system. The clouds are always rolling over and sometimes roll down the valleys and into the city. The sunsets are spectacular from all of this diversity.
The poverty is very present in the streets. However, it is a different poverty than I am accustomed to being exposed to. I am used to beggars who look haggard and unhealthy, who hold up signs and ask for money. They are homeless and appear helpless. There are some people who are like that here too, but most of the time you see people who have created their own means of making money. The most common one I’ve seen are people in parking lots and streets showing you a space to park your car in. They will watch over the car for safe keeping while you’re away. They also make crafts and sell them at stop lights and on sidewalks, gather trash from your vehicles, wash your car windows. Some ring your doorbell and ask if they can tend to your lawn or garden. Out in the country some would gather flowers and sell them. The people with more money are very accepting of these acts and support them. Many people from Zimbabwe have migrated down to South Africa because in their country people are literally starving to death. I went to a craft market yesterday and bought some fun jewelry, wooden carvings and cloth prints from some Zimbabwe people. Most of the poor people I have seen in South Africa don’t look haggard; they are smiling, kind and gentle. The most obvious difference between them and the poor people I have seen in the US is that they are motivated and willing to work and they don’t appear helpless.
There are of course some exceptions and one should be wary of drunken bums and theft. There were two occasions where we had some uncomfortable run ins at petrol stations. One was a drunken guy asking for money that the workers had to move away, and the other was a drunken white guy speaking Afrikaans offering us chicken with his greasy hands. Mind you there were plenty of other people around and there wasn’t a need to panic, it just wasn’t the most comfortable experience.
I must admit that I couldn’t handle living in Cape Town for several reasons. One being the issue with crime and I know now that that is due to the immense amount of poverty. Also, for me, there is a fear that weaves its way in and out of this city. I like to live in a place where I feel safe. Perhaps if I grew up in Cape Town or in another large US city I would be more accustomed to living life on the cautious side, but I’m not. I don’t think that I could adapt to all of these fences and locked gates. Nor do I really want to. I like that I have experienced a culture shock being here and do not wish to dull my senses to the rawness of city life. Even though I could never live in Cape Town I must admit that there is much to be explored within the city. The mountain views and the ocean overlooks are spectacular, while the culture is intriguing.
In these past 32 days I have experienced quite a lot. Here are the highlights:
- Meeting Kirsten and her sweet friends, especially Briony, Mo, Kat, Jules & Lucia
- Getting back into rock climbing
- Wine tasting with Saul and Kelly and eating dinner at the Spier Winery
- Going to my first Belly dancing class
- Surfing in Muzenberg
- Driving out to Cape Point, seeing the penguins and watching the baboons
- Meeting Kirsten’s Uncle John who looks, talks and laughs exactly like Austin Powers
- Hiking up Lion’s Head and seeing immaculate views of the city and the ocean
- Going to an outdoor concert at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
- Having a full on exposure to poverty
- Discovering an entirely new perspective of what South Africa is all about
I’d love to come back knowing that there is no need to be afraid of this immense and spectacular part of the world. Next time I’ll bring a climbing partner, my outdoor gear, and plan some extra time to discover Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and Victoria Falls. I never did get to go on a safari, but oh well, I’m not sure if I was really ready to see wild lions up close and personal anyway!
Posted: 03.04.2007
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