What I did on my winter vacation

We have crossed the halfway mark of our Peace Corps tour.  Not quite the same initiation as crossing the dateline or the equator - no certificates or hazing (hazing is daily life and does not require any special occasion).  Instead we celebrated by leaving with another trip to Cape Town (it took me three trips but I have realized it is Cape Town, not Capetown).  We had a two week window and debated seeing something else on the bucket list, like Victoria Falls, but I desperately needed something to DO and once you look at the Falls, then what?  Travel within Mozambique is ridiculously expensive.  While the beaches are gorgeous and isolated, again, then what?  No longer being a sunworhshipper, a beach would be nice to come back to, but after a day of DOING something.

The western cape of South Africa is seductive and while we went back to some familiar haunts we also explored new areas, including three historic villages, two of which remain essentially unchanged and continuously inhabited. It was mid-winter and although fairly cool, we only had half a day of rain - and almost no tourists. 

What I did on my winter vacation

Below is our hotel, the Victoria and Alfred, as seen from the top of the ferris wheel.  It is a renovated warehouse with a two-fer view of both the waterfront and Signal Hill/Table Mountain.  The red eyesore in the center is a figure constructed from Coke cartons that was erected for the World Cup and symbolizing god knows what - world domination?  We were fortunate enough to witness the start of its demise as they began dismantling it before we left.  In this case, things go better without Coke.

 Now if it had been diet coke cartons it might be a different story.

In addition to our standby activities - "We enjoy candlelit dinners and walks on the beach" -

we discovered some new, off the beaten path sites.  Three of the most interesting were the District Six Museum, a musuem housed in an old church on the site of a resettlement area; the Bo-Kaap District; and the Christian Barnard Heart Musuem.  District Six was historically a "colored" area that incorporated many ethnicities and racial mixes, somewhat similar to Harlem in that it was a vibrant neighborhood rich with music, art, and a strong sense of belonging.  As Cape Town developed so did the need for white neighborhoods and a "resettlement" program was instituted and later accelerated by apartheid.  Residents were moved far out of the city and a once cohesive neighborhood now splintered into warring factions and racial groups.  Ironically, the cleared land was never rebuilt.

The Bo-Kaap area starts at the edge of the City Center and climbs up Signal Hill at the far end of Table Mountain.  It is populated largely by descendants of the Cape Town's original Muslim slaves.  It is undergoing renewed interest because of its prime location, although whether this will prove to be a a positive or a negative thing for current residents remains to be seen.  It is characterized by its colorful houses, historical architecture, and a small museum.



A brief reference in a guidebook to the "site of the first heart transplant" caught my eye.  Both of us clearly remember when this happened and decided it was a must-see.  It is housed in the original hospital in a residential neighborhood and provides an excellent overview of the history, research and circumstances leading to the first transplant operation, as well its ensuing publicity, controversy, and consequences.  It includes background information on the donor and the first transplant patient and a comprehensive look of the technology of the time.  For a  Health Channel junkie, this was nirvana.



*Apparently Cape Town is known for its state of the art mannequins.  The two operating rooms - one for the donor and for the recipient - were amazingly life-like.  Move over Madame Tussaud.

Dr. Christian Barnard was a complex man.  The result of an operation that was for him simply the next step in transplant research and method was a life of celebrity, notoriety, and for some, infamy.  The quote below is one of his best legacies.




We also took a day and visited the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.  To call these botanical gardens is to call the Redwoods a forest preserve.  Well, almost.  It covers an extensive area up the slope on the back side of Table Mountain that incoporates a wide variety of flora and hiking trails.  We even discovered a back hiking route to the top of the mountain. 

It's a small, small world

One of our last nights in Cape Town we had made reservations to eat at one of our favorite restaurants.  There was a couple seated at the table behind us, only the man's back visible to me.  We could hear bits and pieces of conversation, notable because it was clearly Americans.  One of the voices was disturbingly familiar.  I kept saying "I know that voice".  So Carl was discreetly trying to lean to one side and I was discreetly trying to lean the other hoping to catch a glimpse.  Turns out it was someone from my Falls Church book club and her husband.  She had not told me she was coming as it would be like telling someone visiting New York to stop by and see someone in Colorado.  It was a wonderful surprise and a highlight of the trip for me (or perhaps a measure of my desperation for adult conversation and political discussion?)

Perusing the wine list and other amusements

And we were off.  Our road trip was determined by my love of history and our mutual love of wine, punctuated by a stop at the actual southernmost point of the continent, Cape L'algulhas.  The history came from two old villages and the wineries from our new favorite wines.                                                                    

First stop, Vergenoud, an historic working winery and homestead now open to the public.  This is not a homestead in the "go west young man" sense.  Think plantation on steroids. Acquired originally under nefarious circumstances, it is nonetheless beautiful and showcases a number of buildings in the Cape Dutch style.  And the wine ain't bad.

 

Next, Arniston, a seasonal beach community and the working fishing village of Kassebai.  The dwellings date back 200 years plus and are still inhabited.  They gave been declared a national monument.

And on to the real southern tip - the Cape L'Agulhas -  and not as previously reported from last year's trip - the Cape of Good Hope.  It is a desolate, cold and windy but fascinating point of land.  It is also an up and coming area for wineries.  And the wine ain't bad. 

We climbed, literally, the lighthouse.  And we paid to do it! 

           

We then continued on and up to the toward the northeast corner of the Western Cape.  The Western Cape is like a microcosm of the U.S. in terms of the variety of the topography and vegetation.  Heading north the land was defined by big sky and sheep.

Our trip included stops at wineries, a couple nights in the town of Stellenbosch, the wine area of Robertson, and two historical villages, Elim and Tulbaugh.  Elim is an old Moravian community established in 1824, still limited to those who follow its religion and relatively unchanged in construction.  It is notable in that it housed freed slaves and the legacy of the Moravian/native black mix is evident in the descendants.  It is fairly isolated and the population fairly small on a year-round basis and definitely shows its age.  Tulbaugh was destroyed in an earthquake in 1969. Many of the historic buildings were destroyed and and since restored.  Both are wine country areas as well.  And the wine ain't bad.



Wish there was more to show and tell from Maputo.  Work continues at a frenzied pace on the road in front of our residence.  I am sure somewhere, somehow there is a master plan but it is not evident on a daily basis.  Sometimes they have have someone directing traffic, sometimes they don't.  Sometimes you can drive both ways, sometimes you can't.  Sometimes they cut the water and power lines, sometimes they don't.  They grade the road then come back and dig a channel through the middle.  There is no linear thinking, only a roller coaster ride of loops and turns.  One night we came home in the dark and could not find the driveway.  We had to park and walk back.  A pile of dirt had been dumped on a neighboring driveway and that was now our entry point.  Four wheel drive is not just for the game parks...

Carl did get to meet President and Chelsea Clinton.  He was in Maputo to discuss his Foundation with the President of Mozambique and wise enough not enough not to spend the night.  A small group went to the airport and met with him briefly in the President's personal lounge. Carl had to wear a suit and everything. Thought President Clinton was quite engaging but that he looked like he had aged quite a bit.  And he had only been in Maputo for less than a day.

We continue to learn about the history and current events of southern Africa and look to how this piece of the world puzzle affects our daily lives, the lives of its inhabitants and its impact and implications for the U.S. and others, and most importantly, its future.  It is a different paradigm and certainly a challenge for Type A persons who rely on logic and deductive reasoning.  If I return thinking in circles, it may not be just a factor of old age.





Half a blog is better than none

Given that there really is not much to do here, you would think I would have more free time.  However, the things that need to be done take at least twice as much time, often more.  So on balance my free time continues to be limited. Work days are long, night comes early and mornings even faster.  Since we are the eastern edge of the time zone it is lightat 6 am despite it being the middle of winter.  Construction has begun and the parade of workers and traffic on the street is loud. And it seems all the guards decide to talk on their their cell phones at decibel levels that ensure everyone in the apartment complex hears the conversations.

Aside from the occasional successful runs to the grocery store - and the absence of any work or Peace Corps Volunteer emergencies - the most exciting thing we have done was a trip to Swaziland to an annual Woodstock/Bonnaroo type three day outdoor concert.  Being the intrepid "viajantes" that we now are, we opted for the minibus and four star hotel.  A small, eclectic group of 19 from the Embassy, CDC, and UN rented a small van and negotiated great rates at very nice hotel, Summerfield Botanical Gardens.  The rooms were nice but "botanical gardens" may have been a bit of a stretch.  The music was as eclectic as our travel group and included several African groups and even a Japanese performer.  http://mg.co.za/multimedia/2012-05-31-bushfire-2012-the-art-of-self-discovery The setting was primarily outdoors (read field) although there was an extremely interesting permanent theater/bar area that seemed to be modeled on a Gaudi building.

Festivities (and drinking) began at 5 pm on Friday night (actually the drinking probably began earlier) and continued through late Sunday.  We also opted for the VIP tickets (again the intrepid travellers) which essentially meant plastic lawn chairs behind a chicken wire fence and someone who would get your beer.
On Saturday and Sunday during there the day there was music but also activities for kids, including the giant Mozambican puppets (see earlier blog: Home Again...Part 2).

There were also craft vendors, artists, poetry readings, and hands-on activities for kids.  Whereas the events for the most part were inclusive of blacks, whites and all age groups, Saturday night wasdominated by the locals and by midnight was jam-packed with young, party-going Swazis.  When they started storming the chicken wire fence it seemed like a good time to leave.

We also took advantage of our time in Swazi to visit a traditional Zulu village where we had a tour of the compound and were entertained with dancing and singing.  A handful of people continue to live in the village but most have abandoned the reed/stick huts for cinderblock living.

Historically the Zulus used this rock as a place of execution.  The person would be escorted to the top and then thrown off.  The young woman guiding us actually seemed disappointed when she said they were not allowed to do it anymore.  How do you sell that hike to the top?  "Great views.  A bit difficult getting there but you will have an easy trip back down." 

Traditional hut - note monkey on top

All in all it ewas a fun weekend and not only gave us a chance to see some new sites but also to meet and interact with others whose paths we would not normally cross.

And back in Maputo...

Pretty much the same old, same old.  Road construction resumed with a vengenance, the trash piles grow exponentially, sometimes the supply trucks don't make it from South Africa, and prices continue to rise.  We did lose our great massage therapist and accupuncturist, a married couple who decided to return to China.  The Chinese are not well-liked and seen as exploiters (the new colonialists?) and there have been some attacks against Asians.



"Medico" Dave



Oh yeah, and there was the guy who exposed himself when I was walking.  But my distance vision isn't all that great.  At first I thought he was holding a stick and smiling to be friendly. 

We also attended a Mozambican wedding: actually a 25th anniversary renewal of vows.  The ceremony was schedule to begin at 2 pm. We arrived 40 minutes late and were still among the first guests.  The ceremony was held in a church/gym and then a reception was held several miles out of town in a country venue.  Lots of food and dancing.  We were alos among the first to leave, at 10 pm, and the party was still going strong.

And on the six month anniversary of "The Big Break" I ran for the first time: ten minutes and not very fast but a small personal victory.  I have been full-time cast-free for almost two weeks and working to reengage unused parts in my foot and leg.  The doctor and physical therapist both cautioned going slowly and to add insult to injury, literally, made frequent mention of "at your age..."

It looks like a September trip to the states is in the works.  Carl has a Peace Corps Conference in DC and we will take advantage of one paid-for ticket.  Until then....







On the Road to Zanzibar

Editor's note:  true to form, as soon as I started this we lost internet.  In addition to the usual litany of power outages and internet failures, and the unusual blow-up of the transformer/sub-stations, it seems not only was this area of town or even our complex - all of two buildings - adversely affected - it was THIS building.  After weeks of calls and many service trips and several teasers of internet that lasted more than five minutes, a technician at 9 pm on a Sunday night "replaced some things" and we are back!

My big birthday present for my BIG birthday was a trip to Zanzibar.  Zanzibar had always intrigued me as it was one of those places everyone heard of but did not know very much about.  It lived up to my expectations.  It has a fascinating history and is a real "melting pot" of diverse cultures, conquerors, interlopers and squatters.  So, on to a a pictorial "Road to Zanzibar".



Well, actually "in the Air to Zanzibar".  The Captain invited the kids up to the cockpit.-

Zanzibar is off the cost of mainland Tanzania.  For those of you old enough to remember the African country of Tanganyika, Tanzania is the merging of Tanganyika with Zanzibar.  And for those of you who remember the 60's and social activisim, this was done under Julius Nyerere.  It is an archipelago of 50 plus islands.  The main island is Unjuga.  Most of the islands are small and uninhabited.  The islands were a part of the trade routes for middle eastern and European traders.  The first immigrants to settle in Zanzibar were Shirazi Persians who arrived in the 10th century, fleeing turmoil in their native country (history does repeat).  They inter-married and disappeared as a distinct ehtnic group.  Portuguese occupied the island in the 16th century.  Their legacy remains in the remnants of a fort, a variation of bull-fighting on the second largest island, and a few vocabulary words, such as cassava.  The pivotal and most defining of the colonisations were the Omani Arabs who established a brutal regime built on slave trading, forced labor and exploitation.

The British negotiated a treaty with the Sultans of Oman in the late 1700's and then pushed an agenda to pressure the end of the slavery through a policy of "gradualism" and their own colonization (gradualism defined as 100 plus years before personal slaves were banned in addition to slave trading).The Brits continued to recognize Zanzibar as an Arab state and stayed in bed with the devil so to speak.  "Independence" was granted in 1963 but power handed to a pro-Sultan coalition.  The Zanzibar Revolution in 1964 came at the crossroads of the cuntry moving from a constitutional monarchy to a an authoritarian Arab state.  The new government confiscated Arab property, banned the Sultan and nationalized land and services.

Stone Town, also known as Zanzibar town, is a maze of narrow streets resembling medinas and shows evidence of its various ethnic and cultural roots.  It is a designated UNESCO site with much potential and at this no point almost no funding.  Many historical buildings are in various stages of decay, but the overall effect is fascinating.  It faces the Indian ocean and continues to be defined to a large extent by water and a fledging tourist industry.



Zanzibar is predominately Islamic, about 89% of the population.  However, they do not follow sharia law - and they get a fair number of Italian toursits - so the effect is a fairly liberal society. 
 The missionaries were not without some success; the remaining 11% of the population are practicing Christians.

Home of Tippu Tap, an infamous Arab slave trader.  When he died, he had 10,000 personal slaves.  The house is now a squatter's tenement, complete with hanging laundry, cooking fires, barefoot children and no electricity.  This man lives on the top floor, was extrememly knowledgeable (albeit a little eccentric) and gave us a tour and oral history of the building.



House of Wonders - built as a Sultan's palace, later
 the offices of the British Colonial Government,
now a museum.

 

House of Wonders - macro view



 

Inside a slave holding cell.  There were two rooms: one for men and one for women and children




   

Where else can you visit a historical site,
attend mass, eat, get your hair cut and buy art?



Memorial to slaves

Dining out - vendors in the park versus roof top at the hotel.  Actually the food was comparable (but not the ambiance).

We interrupt this posting for an important message

I'll Take Door Number One...

  

Stonetown is characterized - at least in those buildings still standing - by its doors, not unlike northern Africa and other parts of the Arab world.  They are notable for their size and brass fittings.

The Indian immigrants introduced the arched doorway.  Prior to that the doorframes were squared off.

                                             

Swimming with the Dolphins 

We got up early one morning and headed south to an area known

 for its dolphin colonies and migrations. "Swimming with the dolphins"

translates into getting a small boat which cruises the water for dolphin sightings.  Once spotted, said boat revs as fast as it can to get the site, and the guide yells "Jump NOW Madam", whereupon the dolphins dive for the bottom.  The trick is to get there before they dive.  We actually did have some good swims as well as some good top down views.

Monkey see, monkey do...

Dolphins in the morning and monkeys in the afternoon.  We came back    through Jozani Forest, a protected area for the Red Colobus monkey unique to Zanzibar.

East to the beach...via a Spice Plantation

Zanzibar is reknown for its spices; hence the nickname the "Spice Islands".  The original plantations were each subdivided among thirty families after the revolution and some continue to operate (more or less).  The original thirty now incorporates several generations and the number of dependents has increased exponentially.  A number of plantations now exist on a combination of crops and a very nascent tourist trade.

Then to the beach - aka the Italian Rivera of Zanzibar.  For some reason the Italians Amore the beaches (although pay no attention to Stonetown).  Fortunately for us, it was off-season.  We enjoyed swiming, hikes on the beach, great snorkeling and high-end shopping.

Masai are ubiquitous as guards - tall and skinny.
And they carry spears. Interesting career adaptation.

A calming three days (okay, enough of that) and back to Stonetown for a night with a brief stopover at a traditional fishing village.

The weather continues to cool in Maputo, a very positive thing in so many ways, the least of which is the fact that most Mozambicans do not use deodorant.  I have begun walking and successfully negotiated my old route but in about half again as much time.  I did, however, manage to outpace a three-legged dog and a barefoot homeless man. 

And now, in the immortal words of a Zanzibar taxi driver, I sign off with this message