This is what I wrote in my journal on the flight from Cape Town to Durban. It is it's own story.
As I was listening to the guide at Mandela's prison cell on Robben Island (near Cape Town) I had a horrible thought come to me....My flight was at 14:00 hours, not 4:00pm as I had thought! My flight was leaving at 2:00pm!! I was on an island in the Atlantic Ocean without any way to get back to Cape Town until the tour boat took me there. The boat doesn't dock until 12:30pm and I didn't know how to get back to the hotel quickly since I had walked to the Waterfront. I started to get that panicky feeling but I realized I couldn't do an thing about it right then.
Once I calmed down I realized that heavenly Father must be looking out for me since I was convinced my flight was at 4:00pm..... I had told Ed I woudl be coming in at 6pm arriving at the hotel by 7:00pm...I had arranged for a car to pick me at the hotel at 2pm to get me to the airport in plenty of time....so why did that thougth enter into my head right at that time, and so clearly! It wasn't like a thought milling around in my head, "maybe I should check the light time...". No! It was very clear to me. I saw in my head the numbers 14:00 and 16:00 on my confirmation and it was very clear to me - as if I had (or someone else had) spoken the words out loud..."You confused 14:00 and 4:00pm. Your plane leave at 2:00pm!"
Fortunately, there was enough to keep my mind occupied and I was very calm until I was off the boat and then I began to get in high gear.
I sprinted up the steps from the boat dock and remembered as I was running that the Hop On-Hop Off bus I had been using had a stop very close the to place I was. As that thought came to me, I looked up and there was the bus moving toward me. Then it turned a corner. I still had about a dozen steps to navigate before getting to the top and at the corner where it turned. I couldnt' see the bus anymore, but I was praying very hard and as I rounded the corner there it was! I knew tha the next stop would be at the place closest to the hotel so I jumped on. (They had closed the doors, but they saw me coming and opened them up again)
As we went along the route I remembered that their was a tourism place across the street from the bus stop so I determined I would go there. Surely they would want to help a confused american tourist.
One I arrived there though, it was very clear they would not be able to help me. btu I remembered seeing a South African Airways office somewhere close by so I asked and they directed me there. It was right on my way to the hotel.
I went into the SA Airways office and it was more a business office to help local travelers book trips....I had to sign in and wait my turn. The guard at the sign in desk was not very sympathetic to my request...."I have a problem with a 2pm flight (it was then about 12:55pm) can someone help me?" He sort of grunted and looked around. I waited for a few minutes and realized, "This is not going to work". I thought I would get to the hotel and call from there and it would be much faster.
So I ran the rest of the way down St. Georges Mall amid all the street vendors and then up the stairs to the reception area of the hotel. Fortunately Genevieve(who had helped me earlier today) and one other worker was there but no guests! I said, "I've made a terrible mistake!" They quickly looked at the clock and said, "You can make it but you must leave now. There is a driver right here who can take you." They began processing my bill and told me to quickly get my luggage and bring it down. Wisely I had packed my bag this morning so all I had to do was zip the bag and leave.
I called for the elevator and the doors opened and I rushed in......the doors wouldn't close! The other man in the elevator had come from the 11th floor, but it got stuck at the 5th floor. "No!!!" I screamed in my head! This cannot be happening. Quickly I realized that at least I wasn't inside the elevator with the doors stuck closed, so I calmed down and we got off and tried to call another one. It came and I got back to reception.
There must have been 4 other guests at the desk now, all with urgent needs I'm sure. But Genevieve knew my plight and she was on the phone with the bank trying to sort out the charge to my Mastercard. The new charge for my complete bill, plus the credit for cancelling the initial charge when I checked in were two seperate transactions which would each need an authorization number. Overseas charged require the bank to call Mastercard, etc. and all this would take at least a half hour. She asked, "Do you trust me to follow through on this so you can leave? If you will sign here I will promise to make sure it all goes through properly today and you can be on your way." I paused for only a moment and said, "Yes".
In a country where therehas been a huge problem with stealing credit card numbers we had been warned by Shell to make sure that we never let our credit cards out of sight. We always require the card be swiped at the table or in front of us at a store. I am not sure how Ed will feel about me doing this but......it is my card and not his. I felt I could trust Genevieve who was working so hard to help me.
She looked at me (knowing, I'm sure, my thoughts) and said, "I know you will make the flight.
I said thank you many times and ran to the waiting car. It was now 1:12pm.
The driver was aware of the urgency. He drove very fast and had me at the airport by 1:30pm. In good traffic it should have taken 30-35 minutes. I dove from the car, grabbed my bag away from the guy at the curb who wanted to bring it in for me and ran across the traffic toward the terminal. My heart sank when I realized I had to walk all the way through the parking agarage to get to the departing terminal.
Now.....I was very aware that there are signs all over that say, "you must check in 30 min. in advance or your seat will be given away" and "Gates are closed 15 min. before flight time."
As I ran into the terminal I am remembering these statements. I turn the corner and I am met by a mass of hundres of people waiting in lines at the counters. My heart fell immediately and I thought, "No way....I am sunk. I am not getting out of here tonight!" But, I looked it over and saw a cute little man who worked for the airlines controlling the line for First Class. I knew that I had purchased a "Saver" fare which meant I didn't get a seat assignment until checking in at the airport, but I made my way to him and said, in my very best American accent, "I am supposed to be on a 2:00 flight to Durban, can you help me?" He looked around for a second and then motioned for me to follow him. We wnet in front and long the many busy counters until he found the Durban line and put me in it. I was at the end, but they knew I was there. Also, i was just behind a woman with a dog who was on the same flight. I felt safe.....
The line moved quickly. I got to the counter and handed over my passport. He said, "Nora?" I nodded . He checked my bag, gave me my ticket and passport and that was that! I was on my way through security at 1:52pm.
As I handed my ticket to the security guy I was surprised to find that I had been put in a First Class seat! Ah Ha! There was a blessing to being late....there were no other seats left on the plane! After making it through security I started walking and feeling normal. I was relieved. I had made it. Then I heard the airport announcer over the din of the people, "Passenger Moulder, please reort immediately to Gate 3!" In Cape Town, South Africa my name is heard..... I've never had an announcement over an airport speaker system before.
As in many airports, Cape Town airline passengers are loaded onto a bus to be taken out to the plane which is parked on the tarmac. I could see it now.... I'd be the only one on the bus and the last one on the plane which was now going to be late departing. (I did remember seeing the dog lady behind me still so I wondered why I was being singled out)
I reached the gate and saw that there were many people on the bus. I was fine. In fact, there were a number of passengers who came onto the bus after me, including the dog lady, so i really don't know why my name was called.
I got onto the plane and ended up in an aisle seat in First Class with no one next to me. It was a glorious flight. What an adventure! What a blessing! I was watched over and cared for in so many ways. I left Cape Town for perhaps the only time in my life in very rushed circumstances with the aid of several people who I may never see again in this life. I am very grateful.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
October 20, 2008 - Whales Calving
OK....These are four whales that came together right before my eyes. One of them is calving and the others are just there to help. First there were just the two and then two more joined them and they were very close together and twisting and turning and then two of them pealed off of the other ones and then we saw a little fin come up. It was an amazing sight.
Finally....a picture!
This is a picture of the beautiful coastline around Cape Town. I can't even tell you which one. they are all so beautiful. I think it may be Kamps Bay, a very trending little town. I think I liked this shot because I would like to live in one of the little houses built right on the rocks. If you look closely you can see them. Houses are built coming all the way down the mountain into the little bay.
This picture was taken in the evening with the sun going down. This is the Atlantic Ocean.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
October 23 - Table Mountain
Until I knew I was coming to Cape Town I had never heard of Table Mountain. It is such a wonderful spot. The cable car that takes you up to the top is very fun. I haven't been on a cable car for a long time, but I have never been on one that has a revolving floor. It is a little disconcerting to stand on something that is taking you up to a mountain in 3 minutes and to be moving 360 degrees in a circle at the same time. Sort of like patting you head and rubbing your stomach at the same time.
It was a strange experience because at the top of the mountain there were heavy clouds on one side (False Bay side to the SE) and clear, sunny weather on the Atlantic Ocean side to the NW.
Just the view was amazing.
My time at the computer is about to run out so I will continue blogging when I return to the Consulate in Durban.
It was a strange experience because at the top of the mountain there were heavy clouds on one side (False Bay side to the SE) and clear, sunny weather on the Atlantic Ocean side to the NW.
Just the view was amazing.
My time at the computer is about to run out so I will continue blogging when I return to the Consulate in Durban.
October 23 - Yes, I've seen whales!!
It's 4:30 in the morning. I am alone in the lobby of the Holiday Inn Express in downtown Cape Town, South Africa. I have had the most wonderful 3 days here. This is truly one of the most beautiful spots on the earth. Between Table Mountain and the coast I don't know that anywhere would be like it.
My visit began on Monday morning, flying in. the weather was overcast and rainy and I didn't get to see the city until we were almost on the ground due to the clouds. We had a bit of a rough landing and then I met my guide, Ian Stewart. Yes, I have had two guides, both named Ian Stewart. Pretty funny I think.
Ian of Cape Town (CT) started right off by taking me up onto a mountain to see a beautiful memorial park dedicated to Cecil John Rhodes who came here from England because of a lung condition. While taking care of his lungs he discovered the wealth of this country in diamonds and tried to establish a railroad from CT to Cairo. This didn't succeed, but he establish de Beers, the company that, even today, controls the diamond market in the world. At some point he returned to England but I am not real clear on that part other than he is the one who established the scholarship at Oxford. (We have all heard of Rhodes scholars) Anyway, from his memorial up on the mountain it is a grand view of Cape Flats and it was a good way to get oriented to the area. It is very confusing because we are on a peninsula and it curves in such a way that you my think that you are looking out at the Atlantic Ocean, but you aren't. In fact, it is a huge bay (aptly called "False Bay") that many sailors thought was the ocean, but was not.
The city actually crawls around the the peninsula and there are many little beach communities that are home to the rich and famous around the world. There are huge estates and smaller vacation homes right on the beach. Some built on the rocks and probably get the ocean spray they are so close. Most of the beaches have the mountains that go quite close to the ocean so they are precarious on the hillsides. I have way too many pictures of the homes and the hillsides but they go for miles and miles and I just couldn't get enough. :)
The very first day I made it clear to Ian that I wanted to see whales. He told me that we might see some that day when he drove me along the coast, but that Tuesday we would go to Hermanus where we would see whales for sure. Well.......we had a surprise in for us Monday afternoon!
We were driving along the coastal road and we pulled over from time to time when he thought there might be whales. One place we stopped (I don't remember for sure where) and watched two whales together. After about 10 minutes we noticed that another whales was heading toward them and joined them and then another. Four whales all together and they were moving around each other and touching each other. Ian said he had never seen anything like that before and he was born in CT!!! After about 15 minutes there was some serious thrashing about and then they broke up with one whale and then another leaving again. Then we saw a smaller fin come up to the surface. What a surprise!!! One of the whales had calved right there in front of me!!!! The others had come to help. Ian had never seen that before. We confirmed what we thought we saw the next day with the "whale crier" at Hermanus. I haven't been able to see my photos on a computer yet so I don't know how good they are, but I hope I got at least one that is discernable. Had I known what I was seeing I would have taken video of it, but since it was my first encounter and I thought I would see more the following day I didn't think to get video.
It was a wonderful experience for my very first day in Cape Town!!
The next day we drove the other direction and headed to Hermanus where we did see some whales, although not as many together as I thought there might be, but I did see whales jumping. I hope those pictures turn out. I didn't get video of that either. You really have to wait a long time and then you don't have time to set up a shot because you don't know where they are going to come up! It is so fun to stand there with a bunch of other people and have everyone simultaneously gasp..... they are such magnificent creatures.
I could have stayed all day long for many days and just watched the sea, but alas.....there were miles to go before I slept ........
I wish you all could have been there and seen what I saw and felt what I felt.
My visit began on Monday morning, flying in. the weather was overcast and rainy and I didn't get to see the city until we were almost on the ground due to the clouds. We had a bit of a rough landing and then I met my guide, Ian Stewart. Yes, I have had two guides, both named Ian Stewart. Pretty funny I think.
Ian of Cape Town (CT) started right off by taking me up onto a mountain to see a beautiful memorial park dedicated to Cecil John Rhodes who came here from England because of a lung condition. While taking care of his lungs he discovered the wealth of this country in diamonds and tried to establish a railroad from CT to Cairo. This didn't succeed, but he establish de Beers, the company that, even today, controls the diamond market in the world. At some point he returned to England but I am not real clear on that part other than he is the one who established the scholarship at Oxford. (We have all heard of Rhodes scholars) Anyway, from his memorial up on the mountain it is a grand view of Cape Flats and it was a good way to get oriented to the area. It is very confusing because we are on a peninsula and it curves in such a way that you my think that you are looking out at the Atlantic Ocean, but you aren't. In fact, it is a huge bay (aptly called "False Bay") that many sailors thought was the ocean, but was not.
The city actually crawls around the the peninsula and there are many little beach communities that are home to the rich and famous around the world. There are huge estates and smaller vacation homes right on the beach. Some built on the rocks and probably get the ocean spray they are so close. Most of the beaches have the mountains that go quite close to the ocean so they are precarious on the hillsides. I have way too many pictures of the homes and the hillsides but they go for miles and miles and I just couldn't get enough. :)
The very first day I made it clear to Ian that I wanted to see whales. He told me that we might see some that day when he drove me along the coast, but that Tuesday we would go to Hermanus where we would see whales for sure. Well.......we had a surprise in for us Monday afternoon!
We were driving along the coastal road and we pulled over from time to time when he thought there might be whales. One place we stopped (I don't remember for sure where) and watched two whales together. After about 10 minutes we noticed that another whales was heading toward them and joined them and then another. Four whales all together and they were moving around each other and touching each other. Ian said he had never seen anything like that before and he was born in CT!!! After about 15 minutes there was some serious thrashing about and then they broke up with one whale and then another leaving again. Then we saw a smaller fin come up to the surface. What a surprise!!! One of the whales had calved right there in front of me!!!! The others had come to help. Ian had never seen that before. We confirmed what we thought we saw the next day with the "whale crier" at Hermanus. I haven't been able to see my photos on a computer yet so I don't know how good they are, but I hope I got at least one that is discernable. Had I known what I was seeing I would have taken video of it, but since it was my first encounter and I thought I would see more the following day I didn't think to get video.
It was a wonderful experience for my very first day in Cape Town!!
The next day we drove the other direction and headed to Hermanus where we did see some whales, although not as many together as I thought there might be, but I did see whales jumping. I hope those pictures turn out. I didn't get video of that either. You really have to wait a long time and then you don't have time to set up a shot because you don't know where they are going to come up! It is so fun to stand there with a bunch of other people and have everyone simultaneously gasp..... they are such magnificent creatures.
I could have stayed all day long for many days and just watched the sea, but alas.....there were miles to go before I slept ........
I wish you all could have been there and seen what I saw and felt what I felt.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
October 18, 2008 - Tala Game Park
My birthday was absolutely fabulous!!!
We went with our guide to Tala Game park. This park is about 45 minutes from downtown Durban so it was a day trip. It is not what is called a Big Five park because there are no big cats there. It is a private park that was established by a man who started a chicken business called Rainbow Chickens. It is now the largest supplier of chicken in the country. On the way to the park we passed the chicken farm and it is huge. We never saw the end of it. And of course where you have chickens, you have eggs. So there is a huge egg business as well.
Anyway, he established this private game park. It is 7,000 hectors of natural landscape. (A hector is about 2.2 acres I think) Because there are no natural predators, the animals in the park are plentiful and are not afraid of the cars that drive by because they have learned that they are not a threat. There are still some animals that do move away when the cars come by, but for the most part they are quite calm and just go about their business which is eating.....all the time! :)
The first animals we saw were ostrich. Right on the road. It was quite strange to see them just walking on the road until we got close enough to see that there were many babies and they stayed on the road because it was easier for them to negotiate the terrain. They were only about a week old and so the grasses stood taller than they were and they didn't have the long legs of the adults and kept looking for the path of least resistance. Male and female ostrich do not mate for life, but when there is a family they stay together until the babies can go out on their own.
Next we saw some beautiful little "blessed bok". I'm not sure if that is the true name, but it is what our guide called them. They are antelope type animals and they are very graceful and small. Along the way we saw wildebeast, impala, inyala (not sure of the spelling), one giraffe, rhino, warthog, many beautiful (and some very noisy) birds and plants. There was a pond where there were two hippos, but we didn't see them. They stay under water unless the sun comes out and then they like to sun themselves some, but we were there on an overcast day so they stayed in the comfort of the pool. They can stay underwater for about 15 minutes, but when they come up to breathe they just still their noses up and then go back down.
There was also a herd of about 15 giraffe, but we didn't get to see them. The one we saw was an old male. He was put out of the herd to die, apparently, but he stayed as close as they would let him and just followed them around. We didn't see the rest of the herd. They must have gone down into the brush in one of the many little valleys of the park where the roads do not go. We talked to a couple who had seen them the evening before but they had not found them today. Oh well, at least I got to see one in the wild. He was just eating away at the top of a thorn tree.
This tree has a natural protection against being eaten up entirely. When the tree feels that there are too many leaves gone, the tree will begin to produce a sap that is distastful to the giraffe and they will move on to another tree. This sap stays on the tree until it has suffiently replaced the leaves and then the giraffe will move back and begin eating again. Fascinating isn't it?
The rhino we saw were amazing. They are really big!!! We came over a hill and there they were just grazing with the wildebeast and the impala. Then, down the hill a little further I saw another rhino and a baby!!! Oh my goodness!! I was so excited. We drove down closer and I was able to get some great pictures and to just gaze on these amazing creatures. We were about 50 feet away from them!!! Our guide kept the car in gear and headed away from her because he said if the mom decides we are too close we need to be sure we are able to get away. The rhino horn coming through the side of the Mercedes would have been a very scary prospect!!! We would have been goners! She would have tossed that car around I think.
It was such a wonderful experience. I feel so blessed and so grateful.
We went with our guide to Tala Game park. This park is about 45 minutes from downtown Durban so it was a day trip. It is not what is called a Big Five park because there are no big cats there. It is a private park that was established by a man who started a chicken business called Rainbow Chickens. It is now the largest supplier of chicken in the country. On the way to the park we passed the chicken farm and it is huge. We never saw the end of it. And of course where you have chickens, you have eggs. So there is a huge egg business as well.
Anyway, he established this private game park. It is 7,000 hectors of natural landscape. (A hector is about 2.2 acres I think) Because there are no natural predators, the animals in the park are plentiful and are not afraid of the cars that drive by because they have learned that they are not a threat. There are still some animals that do move away when the cars come by, but for the most part they are quite calm and just go about their business which is eating.....all the time! :)
The first animals we saw were ostrich. Right on the road. It was quite strange to see them just walking on the road until we got close enough to see that there were many babies and they stayed on the road because it was easier for them to negotiate the terrain. They were only about a week old and so the grasses stood taller than they were and they didn't have the long legs of the adults and kept looking for the path of least resistance. Male and female ostrich do not mate for life, but when there is a family they stay together until the babies can go out on their own.
Next we saw some beautiful little "blessed bok". I'm not sure if that is the true name, but it is what our guide called them. They are antelope type animals and they are very graceful and small. Along the way we saw wildebeast, impala, inyala (not sure of the spelling), one giraffe, rhino, warthog, many beautiful (and some very noisy) birds and plants. There was a pond where there were two hippos, but we didn't see them. They stay under water unless the sun comes out and then they like to sun themselves some, but we were there on an overcast day so they stayed in the comfort of the pool. They can stay underwater for about 15 minutes, but when they come up to breathe they just still their noses up and then go back down.
There was also a herd of about 15 giraffe, but we didn't get to see them. The one we saw was an old male. He was put out of the herd to die, apparently, but he stayed as close as they would let him and just followed them around. We didn't see the rest of the herd. They must have gone down into the brush in one of the many little valleys of the park where the roads do not go. We talked to a couple who had seen them the evening before but they had not found them today. Oh well, at least I got to see one in the wild. He was just eating away at the top of a thorn tree.
This tree has a natural protection against being eaten up entirely. When the tree feels that there are too many leaves gone, the tree will begin to produce a sap that is distastful to the giraffe and they will move on to another tree. This sap stays on the tree until it has suffiently replaced the leaves and then the giraffe will move back and begin eating again. Fascinating isn't it?
The rhino we saw were amazing. They are really big!!! We came over a hill and there they were just grazing with the wildebeast and the impala. Then, down the hill a little further I saw another rhino and a baby!!! Oh my goodness!! I was so excited. We drove down closer and I was able to get some great pictures and to just gaze on these amazing creatures. We were about 50 feet away from them!!! Our guide kept the car in gear and headed away from her because he said if the mom decides we are too close we need to be sure we are able to get away. The rhino horn coming through the side of the Mercedes would have been a very scary prospect!!! We would have been goners! She would have tossed that car around I think.
It was such a wonderful experience. I feel so blessed and so grateful.
Friday, October 17, 2008
October 17, 2008 - A Night at Moyo!!!
Last night the Shell crew all went together to a special South African restaurant called Moyo. It is a South African themed place with a variety of cuisine. It is at the local Marine World called "UShaka". There are several good restaurants there and we have already been to one of them (the huge shark/fish filled aquarium) but everyone has told us that we should go to Moyo and that is where the group decided to have their dinner get-together.
I was not going to join them because it is the work team and non of theother spouses would be there, but when Abdul El heard this he shamed me into reconsidering. I'm sure he would have been offended if I had not attended. But as it turned out, I am so glad that I did.
I got to try crocodile meat!!! I ordered it as a "starter" (appetizer) to share with Ed. He was a little reticent at first, but it was served "carpaccio" which means it was very thinly sliced and it tasted like sweet smoked turkey.
For the meal I ordered a muputo chicken. It was half a chicken (which I could not eat most of) grilled with some wonderful spices which I do not know, but it was very good. Ed ordered the springbok stuffed chicken which I tasted too. It was a little dry. Springbok is a little antelope type animal. I hope to see many of them alive in the next week or so.
There were about 12 men and me for the majority of the time, but during the dinner the female finance officer joined us. She sat by me and she was delightful.....Gita is her name. She has four children ages 20 to 10 so we had a little to chat about. She is a Durbanite and loves it here.
The most fun came as the servers began doing the South African tranditional things that the place is known for. First of all they cam around with a wooden pitcher and bowl of warm lavendar water and had each of us wash our hands before the meal.
Then, as we were waiting for the meal another woman came around and painted our faces.....I had a little white flower....Ed did not allow anything painted on his face. When she was done with mine she had a little mirror so I could look at it. I told her it looked much better on her because my skin was too pale. She thought that was quite funny.
Toward the end of the meal the music started. It was very full of loud beat and really sounded more like Carribean music than African music but the servers, male and female, all walked around, with their trays or water or whatever they were carrying, to the beat of the music. They were swaying and rocking back and forth, some were singing along with themusic. They even had some of them go to the dance floor in the middle of the room and close to our table and dance. It was very fun.
I could not be still in my seat.
Gita loves to dance and she is quite good. Ahmer (from Egypt) and Gita went to the floor and started to dance and Ed got up and asked me to dance too. What could I do but go with him!!! hahahaha It was very fun.
The music kept getting louder and louder and the other people kept getting drunker and drunker and there was quite a show. Within no time at all I could not talk to Abdul El who was sitting next to me and certainly not to Ed across the table.
It was a great evening. I am hoping to go back over to Moyo's and see if I can buy the CD. They did play some music from local artists that I quite liked.
And that was my night at the Moyo!!
I was not going to join them because it is the work team and non of theother spouses would be there, but when Abdul El heard this he shamed me into reconsidering. I'm sure he would have been offended if I had not attended. But as it turned out, I am so glad that I did.
I got to try crocodile meat!!! I ordered it as a "starter" (appetizer) to share with Ed. He was a little reticent at first, but it was served "carpaccio" which means it was very thinly sliced and it tasted like sweet smoked turkey.
For the meal I ordered a muputo chicken. It was half a chicken (which I could not eat most of) grilled with some wonderful spices which I do not know, but it was very good. Ed ordered the springbok stuffed chicken which I tasted too. It was a little dry. Springbok is a little antelope type animal. I hope to see many of them alive in the next week or so.
There were about 12 men and me for the majority of the time, but during the dinner the female finance officer joined us. She sat by me and she was delightful.....Gita is her name. She has four children ages 20 to 10 so we had a little to chat about. She is a Durbanite and loves it here.
The most fun came as the servers began doing the South African tranditional things that the place is known for. First of all they cam around with a wooden pitcher and bowl of warm lavendar water and had each of us wash our hands before the meal.
Then, as we were waiting for the meal another woman came around and painted our faces.....I had a little white flower....Ed did not allow anything painted on his face. When she was done with mine she had a little mirror so I could look at it. I told her it looked much better on her because my skin was too pale. She thought that was quite funny.
Toward the end of the meal the music started. It was very full of loud beat and really sounded more like Carribean music than African music but the servers, male and female, all walked around, with their trays or water or whatever they were carrying, to the beat of the music. They were swaying and rocking back and forth, some were singing along with themusic. They even had some of them go to the dance floor in the middle of the room and close to our table and dance. It was very fun.
I could not be still in my seat.
Gita loves to dance and she is quite good. Ahmer (from Egypt) and Gita went to the floor and started to dance and Ed got up and asked me to dance too. What could I do but go with him!!! hahahaha It was very fun.
The music kept getting louder and louder and the other people kept getting drunker and drunker and there was quite a show. Within no time at all I could not talk to Abdul El who was sitting next to me and certainly not to Ed across the table.
It was a great evening. I am hoping to go back over to Moyo's and see if I can buy the CD. They did play some music from local artists that I quite liked.
And that was my night at the Moyo!!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
October 16, 2008 - Dining in Durban
The food here is very much like you would find anywhere.
I am eating a lot more fish that I have never heard of before. But I have come to quite like Kingklip.
Last Saturday, Ed and I we went out with the local plant manager and his wife and they took us to the Ghost Ship Retaurant at the local Marine World called uShaka. There was a huge tank (2 stories high) with beautiful blueish/silver fish at the top of the tank and very ugly large sharks at the bottom. It was my first introduction to kingklip which is a delicate white fish. it was prepared in filo dough with a wonderful sauce and served on top of mash (mashed potatoes).
During the tour I took yesterday I saw my first MacDonald in Durban. It seems that not too many people here like MacDonalds so many of the places they opened here have been sold to KFC which has gone crazy here. They love it!
I was walking through a mall here a couple of days ago and noticed to young girls eating hamburgers and fries just like at home with one major difference. They were using a fork to eat the hamburger! I actually stopped and watched just to make sure I was notmissing something special about these burgers. . . no, they were just eating them with their utencils!!
There is a plethora of fruit here. Oranges, bananas, papaya, pears, apples, etc. It is everywhere on the street, etc. I haven't actually bought anything from a street vendor yet, but the vendors are pretty good by street food standards that I have seen in other countries. They also have little vendors selling wrapped candy. It's just spread out on a table and you pick which piece you like. All this fruit is locally grown.
There is local food which I will have to get the name of to tell you later on but it is a half a loaf of bread that is hollowed out and some kind of chili looking substance put inside....I know it doesn't sound very good the way I have described it, but it looks good. Before we leave I will have to try it and report.
Indian food is a big thing here so there are lots of curries. The early British brought indentured servants from India so they represent a large part of the population.....someone told me about 50%, but I'm not sure that is accurate.
Sushi is also quite prominent here.
Another thing that I have noticed is the wonderful fresh fruit juice. I love having fresh squeezed oranged juice every morning for breakfast in the hotel. I am happy that breakfast is included in our room rate. It is a fabuous buffet.
There are many wonderful restaurants here. Everywhere we have eaten the food has been very good and well presented.
I am eating a lot more fish that I have never heard of before. But I have come to quite like Kingklip.
Last night our little group, Abdul Al and Ahmer from Egypt, Ed and I, went to a place called Wilson's Wharf to "Charlie's Shak". I had some fish that was supposed to be "Cajun" spiced. It was good and it was spiced, but it wasn't really cajun. I don't remember what kind of fish it was but it was whatever was caught on the line yesterday. Two things were caught on the line, Butter Fish and the one that I ordered, but I couldn't understand what he called. After asked the waiter to repeat the name twice I gave up. I asked what kind of fish and he said it was dryer than the Butter fish which was oily so I went with that one.
Last Saturday, Ed and I we went out with the local plant manager and his wife and they took us to the Ghost Ship Retaurant at the local Marine World called uShaka. There was a huge tank (2 stories high) with beautiful blueish/silver fish at the top of the tank and very ugly large sharks at the bottom. It was my first introduction to kingklip which is a delicate white fish. it was prepared in filo dough with a wonderful sauce and served on top of mash (mashed potatoes).
During the tour I took yesterday I saw my first MacDonald in Durban. It seems that not too many people here like MacDonalds so many of the places they opened here have been sold to KFC which has gone crazy here. They love it!
I was walking through a mall here a couple of days ago and noticed to young girls eating hamburgers and fries just like at home with one major difference. They were using a fork to eat the hamburger! I actually stopped and watched just to make sure I was notmissing something special about these burgers. . . no, they were just eating them with their utencils!!
There is a plethora of fruit here. Oranges, bananas, papaya, pears, apples, etc. It is everywhere on the street, etc. I haven't actually bought anything from a street vendor yet, but the vendors are pretty good by street food standards that I have seen in other countries. They also have little vendors selling wrapped candy. It's just spread out on a table and you pick which piece you like. All this fruit is locally grown.
There is local food which I will have to get the name of to tell you later on but it is a half a loaf of bread that is hollowed out and some kind of chili looking substance put inside....I know it doesn't sound very good the way I have described it, but it looks good. Before we leave I will have to try it and report.
Indian food is a big thing here so there are lots of curries. The early British brought indentured servants from India so they represent a large part of the population.....someone told me about 50%, but I'm not sure that is accurate.
Sushi is also quite prominent here.
Another thing that I have noticed is the wonderful fresh fruit juice. I love having fresh squeezed oranged juice every morning for breakfast in the hotel. I am happy that breakfast is included in our room rate. It is a fabuous buffet.
There are many wonderful restaurants here. Everywhere we have eaten the food has been very good and well presented.
October 16, 2008 - My Durban Tour
Yesterday I hooked up with a local tour guide for tour of the City of Durban.
His name is Ian Stuart. He is a local Durbanite man, born in Cape Town. He is retired from working all over the world, including a number of years in the US (Chicago, New York, Florida and Phoenix - which he loved) and actually has dual US/So. Africa citizen. He is white and laughs at the fact that he is really an African American. After retiring he decided to do limited work as a local tour guide to stay busy. He had so much information to share that it was very fun to drive around with him in his little Mercedes (all the cars here are little) and listen to his stories.
We went to the harbor first. The tide was out and walking along the wharf he pointed the little, tiny crabs. I couldn't believe it. There were thousands of them!! They were so small I thought they were bubbles on the beach from the low tide! The harbor is very large. There is a natural little bay for the private yachts and then the other side of the harbor is for the large ships. I think I already mentioned that this port is the largest in Africa.
From the wharf he pointed out 3 large warehouses that had prominent pitched roofs. One of them had the word "Sugar" on it. Inside is one huge pile of sugar. Sugar is one of the largest exports in So. Africa. Apparently we will see many sugar cane fields in our outings next weekend.
Next, we discussed auto manufacturing. Durban has a huge Toyota manufacturing complex. A number of years ago a man by the name of Albert Wessell brought over here a few of the little Toyotal open bed trucks (they call them "buckies" here). They sold so well he started bringing some other models and eventually he had the rights to make the vehicles here. In fact, he was so successful, that currently Durban manufactures all the Toyotas sold in South Africa and surrounding regions. I'm not sure exactly how large an export market they have but the do export to Australia, which is funny because Japan is closer to Australia. In addition to Toyota, Mercedes has a plant here which builds all the C class Mercedes for the world. The impressive thing is that nothing is imported into Durban for building the cars....at least for Toyota....everything is made here. Engines, glass, paint, etc. I think that is pretty impressive for the area.
Durban is very green. It is also hilly. There aren't really any mountains that are in the city, but there are hills, bluffs, etc. going down to the coast line. There are some beautiful trees called Jacaranda (jack-a-rhonda) trees that have the most beautiful blue/purple flowers. They are at the end of the blooming period and starting to fall to the ground leaving a beautiful blanket of these blossoms. I have taken a picture and I am hoping that it will capture the color. The problem with photos, I have found, is that the small part you can see in the photo does not ever communicate the fullness of the experience, and I am not the best photographer so . . .
There is another tree which I am sure most of you have seen pictures of, called a flat top tree because it grows with a very flat top. They are beautiful and large.
I saw my first ant hill. As you will recall, Africa is famous for the very large anthills these industrious ants build. The one I saw was not so big, but it was impressive nonetheless because it was deeper than what I could see on top of the ground. The ants were white and looked more like moving larva than enything else.
We travelled up the coast to see some of the newer developments in Durban. So far, I have only been exposed to a few neighborhoods close to the downtown area. It was interesting to see how much it looked just like a California community. Sadly the beach areas have been expoited with large apartment buildings and hotels to the point that you can't see the ocean from the street. In fact, the buildings are so close together that it is hard to find the few walking accesses to the beach. And they are few. Interestingly, there are further developments going in down at the South Coast area where they have decided to plan a little better. What has happened at the areas that I visited with all the tall buildings is that by 1pm the buildings block the sun! Who wants to be at the beach with no sun. . . well I might like that since I just like looking at the waves and listening to the surf, but apparently the people who come to the beach for holiday don't like it so much.
Ian also took me to the largest shopping mall in the southern hemisphere. It is called Gateway Mall and it is huge! (Expensive too) Complete with 20 theatres, one IMAX, a skate park and a bungee jump....what a way to shop!!
I saw the estate house where the President of South Africa stays when he visits Durban. It is up on a hill with a beautiful view of the valley and the beach. In that community, called Morningside, with many beautiful gated estate homes and luxury apartments they do not allow telephone polls or cell towers, etc. so they have disguised the tower to look just like a huge palm tree. It was very bizarre but I must admit that if Ian had not pointed it out to me that I would not have noticed.
We went up on another bluff above the city to have a look. From up there you can look down and see several green golf courses (which are all flat....), fotball (soccer) fields, rugby stadiums, cricket stadium, horse race track and stables, and various other kinds of sports.
There is one whole area that has accomodations for one sport after another. there is a new stadium that is being built for the world soccer games which will be held here in Durban in 2010.
This is a big deal here. It was also interesting to see the road system. Trains used to be the way to get around in South Africa, but a new freeway system has been constructed by removing the middle rail lines and inserting the freeway inbetween. There are trains still running on both sides of the freeway in some places. Overall the road system is quite good but there is one big problem.
The Problem: In Durban (I'm not sure if it is the same in other cities in S. Africa) the local government leaders can decide to change the names of the streets whenever they want. Currently there is another change being made that has happened just within the last 3 months. What is hilarious is that you can go to an intersection that has a signpost (not all of them do, so you have a hard time trying to find a street)and find the post has 4-5 signs on it for the street names. Four of the five will have a red line painted through the name. This is actually very helpful because you may be looking at a map that has a name that was replaced quite a while ago. But all the brochures, etc. are way too expensive to reprint (just think of a business letter head, cards, etc.) so they keep all the signs so you can find your way. It is so funny.....the current changes are for names of people that no one on the street knows. One of the major streets is Dr. D.J. Xuma but I have yet to meet anyone who know him so we don't know why he has a major street named for him now.
His name is Ian Stuart. He is a local Durbanite man, born in Cape Town. He is retired from working all over the world, including a number of years in the US (Chicago, New York, Florida and Phoenix - which he loved) and actually has dual US/So. Africa citizen. He is white and laughs at the fact that he is really an African American. After retiring he decided to do limited work as a local tour guide to stay busy. He had so much information to share that it was very fun to drive around with him in his little Mercedes (all the cars here are little) and listen to his stories.
We went to the harbor first. The tide was out and walking along the wharf he pointed the little, tiny crabs. I couldn't believe it. There were thousands of them!! They were so small I thought they were bubbles on the beach from the low tide! The harbor is very large. There is a natural little bay for the private yachts and then the other side of the harbor is for the large ships. I think I already mentioned that this port is the largest in Africa.
From the wharf he pointed out 3 large warehouses that had prominent pitched roofs. One of them had the word "Sugar" on it. Inside is one huge pile of sugar. Sugar is one of the largest exports in So. Africa. Apparently we will see many sugar cane fields in our outings next weekend.
Next, we discussed auto manufacturing. Durban has a huge Toyota manufacturing complex. A number of years ago a man by the name of Albert Wessell brought over here a few of the little Toyotal open bed trucks (they call them "buckies" here). They sold so well he started bringing some other models and eventually he had the rights to make the vehicles here. In fact, he was so successful, that currently Durban manufactures all the Toyotas sold in South Africa and surrounding regions. I'm not sure exactly how large an export market they have but the do export to Australia, which is funny because Japan is closer to Australia. In addition to Toyota, Mercedes has a plant here which builds all the C class Mercedes for the world. The impressive thing is that nothing is imported into Durban for building the cars....at least for Toyota....everything is made here. Engines, glass, paint, etc. I think that is pretty impressive for the area.
Durban is very green. It is also hilly. There aren't really any mountains that are in the city, but there are hills, bluffs, etc. going down to the coast line. There are some beautiful trees called Jacaranda (jack-a-rhonda) trees that have the most beautiful blue/purple flowers. They are at the end of the blooming period and starting to fall to the ground leaving a beautiful blanket of these blossoms. I have taken a picture and I am hoping that it will capture the color. The problem with photos, I have found, is that the small part you can see in the photo does not ever communicate the fullness of the experience, and I am not the best photographer so . . .
There is another tree which I am sure most of you have seen pictures of, called a flat top tree because it grows with a very flat top. They are beautiful and large.
I saw my first ant hill. As you will recall, Africa is famous for the very large anthills these industrious ants build. The one I saw was not so big, but it was impressive nonetheless because it was deeper than what I could see on top of the ground. The ants were white and looked more like moving larva than enything else.
We travelled up the coast to see some of the newer developments in Durban. So far, I have only been exposed to a few neighborhoods close to the downtown area. It was interesting to see how much it looked just like a California community. Sadly the beach areas have been expoited with large apartment buildings and hotels to the point that you can't see the ocean from the street. In fact, the buildings are so close together that it is hard to find the few walking accesses to the beach. And they are few. Interestingly, there are further developments going in down at the South Coast area where they have decided to plan a little better. What has happened at the areas that I visited with all the tall buildings is that by 1pm the buildings block the sun! Who wants to be at the beach with no sun. . . well I might like that since I just like looking at the waves and listening to the surf, but apparently the people who come to the beach for holiday don't like it so much.
Ian also took me to the largest shopping mall in the southern hemisphere. It is called Gateway Mall and it is huge! (Expensive too) Complete with 20 theatres, one IMAX, a skate park and a bungee jump....what a way to shop!!
I saw the estate house where the President of South Africa stays when he visits Durban. It is up on a hill with a beautiful view of the valley and the beach. In that community, called Morningside, with many beautiful gated estate homes and luxury apartments they do not allow telephone polls or cell towers, etc. so they have disguised the tower to look just like a huge palm tree. It was very bizarre but I must admit that if Ian had not pointed it out to me that I would not have noticed.
We went up on another bluff above the city to have a look. From up there you can look down and see several green golf courses (which are all flat....), fotball (soccer) fields, rugby stadiums, cricket stadium, horse race track and stables, and various other kinds of sports.
There is one whole area that has accomodations for one sport after another. there is a new stadium that is being built for the world soccer games which will be held here in Durban in 2010.
This is a big deal here. It was also interesting to see the road system. Trains used to be the way to get around in South Africa, but a new freeway system has been constructed by removing the middle rail lines and inserting the freeway inbetween. There are trains still running on both sides of the freeway in some places. Overall the road system is quite good but there is one big problem.
The Problem: In Durban (I'm not sure if it is the same in other cities in S. Africa) the local government leaders can decide to change the names of the streets whenever they want. Currently there is another change being made that has happened just within the last 3 months. What is hilarious is that you can go to an intersection that has a signpost (not all of them do, so you have a hard time trying to find a street)and find the post has 4-5 signs on it for the street names. Four of the five will have a red line painted through the name. This is actually very helpful because you may be looking at a map that has a name that was replaced quite a while ago. But all the brochures, etc. are way too expensive to reprint (just think of a business letter head, cards, etc.) so they keep all the signs so you can find your way. It is so funny.....the current changes are for names of people that no one on the street knows. One of the major streets is Dr. D.J. Xuma but I have yet to meet anyone who know him so we don't know why he has a major street named for him now.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
October 14, 2008 - Impressions so far
My first impression is: South Africa is very far away........
The trip getting here was very long. We spent 8 hours from Atlanta to Senegal. At Senegal(Darkar) while the plane was refueling we all had to stay in our by our seats while the local security came through and checked in, under, around and through out seats to make sure there wasn't anything suspicious. They check all the carryon baggage as well. Anything that wasn't identified by a passenger was removed.
Ed and I created a little laughter for the crew and the few people around us because he was in the first row (seat 1B) and I was in the very last row in the back (46E). At one point after taking off from Senegal I sent a message via one of the crew that I still loved him. He came back and visited me after that! hahaha
My second impression: South Africa is very friendly........
Everyone has been all smiles and helpful (except the customs agent in Johannesburg (Jo-burg to the locals) . Durban is in the province of Kwa Zulu Natal and most of the locals are zulu. The front desk and concierge people are zulu and have taught me to say hello, how are you, and goodbye in zulu. They crack up when I say it so I must have a funny accent!!
My third impression: South Africa is dangerous.......
So many people are startled when I say that I am going to walk around. They tell me I shouldn't walk here or there, sometimes it is safe everywhere except a few blocks here or there that you have to walk all the way around rather than go that one block. So far I have not felt in danger anywhere I have gone. I stay to the busy streets. The Hilton Hotel where we are staying is not on the beach so I have yet to actually be on the beach but I can see it from our hotel room.
I am told that I cannot walk to the beach....I must take a taxi and then I can only go on part of the beach if I am alone.
Fourth impression: South Africa has great food........
We eat breakfast at our hotel. It is always a full buffet. I love the small grilled tomoatoes and the little grilled mushrooms. Ed introduced me to kippers for breakfast too! There is cereal; eggs anyway you like them; yogurt with all kinds of additions; fresh fruit - papaya, watermelon, cantalope, pineapple, honeydew, oranges; all kinds of breads, muffins, scones, crepes, waffles; bacon, vegetables; fresh squeezed juice ....the list goes on. We have been to several restaurants already and have found some great fish. I have eaten a fish called kingklip a couple of different ways, both of which made this nice white fish very good.
We ate in one retaurant that had a huge aquarium in it with sharks going along the bottom. There were many large beautiful blue fish at the top but the sharks don't eat them.....I guess living in a big glass box and being fed regularly takes the predator out of them.
Fifth impression: South Africa is not a place I want to drive in.......
Actually I am still getting used to the left hand travel thing. In fact, we had only been here two days and I almost got clipped by a car because I was looking the wrong way for the traffic and walked out in front of it. I was looking to my left, but the traffic was travelling from my right....I was very lucky that time. I won't make that mistake again!
In addition to the traffic driving on the left, the road signs are hilarious. There are signposts with 3 or 4 different names on it for the streets some of which have a red line through it. That means that it used to be called that street, and most people may know it by that name, but it was changed to be named for someone else now. "Now" could have been in the last 3 months and then again in another 6 months. It just depends. It makes it very difficult to create a reliable map when you do that too often!!!
The trip getting here was very long. We spent 8 hours from Atlanta to Senegal. At Senegal(Darkar) while the plane was refueling we all had to stay in our by our seats while the local security came through and checked in, under, around and through out seats to make sure there wasn't anything suspicious. They check all the carryon baggage as well. Anything that wasn't identified by a passenger was removed.
Ed and I created a little laughter for the crew and the few people around us because he was in the first row (seat 1B) and I was in the very last row in the back (46E). At one point after taking off from Senegal I sent a message via one of the crew that I still loved him. He came back and visited me after that! hahaha
My second impression: South Africa is very friendly........
Everyone has been all smiles and helpful (except the customs agent in Johannesburg (Jo-burg to the locals) . Durban is in the province of Kwa Zulu Natal and most of the locals are zulu. The front desk and concierge people are zulu and have taught me to say hello, how are you, and goodbye in zulu. They crack up when I say it so I must have a funny accent!!
My third impression: South Africa is dangerous.......
So many people are startled when I say that I am going to walk around. They tell me I shouldn't walk here or there, sometimes it is safe everywhere except a few blocks here or there that you have to walk all the way around rather than go that one block. So far I have not felt in danger anywhere I have gone. I stay to the busy streets. The Hilton Hotel where we are staying is not on the beach so I have yet to actually be on the beach but I can see it from our hotel room.
I am told that I cannot walk to the beach....I must take a taxi and then I can only go on part of the beach if I am alone.
Fourth impression: South Africa has great food........
We eat breakfast at our hotel. It is always a full buffet. I love the small grilled tomoatoes and the little grilled mushrooms. Ed introduced me to kippers for breakfast too! There is cereal; eggs anyway you like them; yogurt with all kinds of additions; fresh fruit - papaya, watermelon, cantalope, pineapple, honeydew, oranges; all kinds of breads, muffins, scones, crepes, waffles; bacon, vegetables; fresh squeezed juice ....the list goes on. We have been to several restaurants already and have found some great fish. I have eaten a fish called kingklip a couple of different ways, both of which made this nice white fish very good.
We ate in one retaurant that had a huge aquarium in it with sharks going along the bottom. There were many large beautiful blue fish at the top but the sharks don't eat them.....I guess living in a big glass box and being fed regularly takes the predator out of them.
Fifth impression: South Africa is not a place I want to drive in.......
Actually I am still getting used to the left hand travel thing. In fact, we had only been here two days and I almost got clipped by a car because I was looking the wrong way for the traffic and walked out in front of it. I was looking to my left, but the traffic was travelling from my right....I was very lucky that time. I won't make that mistake again!
In addition to the traffic driving on the left, the road signs are hilarious. There are signposts with 3 or 4 different names on it for the streets some of which have a red line through it. That means that it used to be called that street, and most people may know it by that name, but it was changed to be named for someone else now. "Now" could have been in the last 3 months and then again in another 6 months. It just depends. It makes it very difficult to create a reliable map when you do that too often!!!
October 14, 2008 - American Consulate in Durban
Sitting in the American Consulate office I am looking out the window in front of me as I type and watching the small boats and large ships make their way around the harbor. Durban has the 4th largest port in Africa. Every morning when I open the curtains in our room at the Hilton I can see the big ships in the Indian Ocean heading for the port. Every day, except Sunday, I was able to count a dozen or so ships. I guess they all wanted to be in port so they could go to church..... :)
I was all set to come to the office and blog yesterday but I got here and found that the consulate was closed for the American holiday! I had totally forgotten about Columbus Day, but it reached out and touched me even here.
The consulate is in a tall building within safe walking distance from our hotel. Entry is typically given only to those who have an appointment, but when we say that we are American we don't need an appointment. It is nice to know our tax dollars are at work for us here. Two floors are dedicated, one for administration and another, the 30th floor is basically some offices and a library. There are 4 computers set up for South Africans to do research. There is an embassy officer who is in charge of an outreach program to help high school students research and apply for various scholarships. It is a very good thing I think. There are so few opportunities for black south africans in particular to have worthwhile education.
Anyway.......we discovered that I can come here and use the computers for free to blog, check my emails, etc. So.....here I am.
We were told that we were the first Americans to have come to the consulate! I was very surprised about that. They were very informative and helpful with what was safe, where we should definately visit, etc. They were very helpful and even gave out their cell phone numbers if I need help.
I was all set to come to the office and blog yesterday but I got here and found that the consulate was closed for the American holiday! I had totally forgotten about Columbus Day, but it reached out and touched me even here.
The consulate is in a tall building within safe walking distance from our hotel. Entry is typically given only to those who have an appointment, but when we say that we are American we don't need an appointment. It is nice to know our tax dollars are at work for us here. Two floors are dedicated, one for administration and another, the 30th floor is basically some offices and a library. There are 4 computers set up for South Africans to do research. There is an embassy officer who is in charge of an outreach program to help high school students research and apply for various scholarships. It is a very good thing I think. There are so few opportunities for black south africans in particular to have worthwhile education.
Anyway.......we discovered that I can come here and use the computers for free to blog, check my emails, etc. So.....here I am.
We were told that we were the first Americans to have come to the consulate! I was very surprised about that. They were very informative and helpful with what was safe, where we should definately visit, etc. They were very helpful and even gave out their cell phone numbers if I need help.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Hurricane Ike and our bachyard flood.
This is what our backyard looked like on Sunday morning at sunrise. The water went down quickly and no trees are down. We are very blessed!!
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