Wednesday, August 19 Cape Town

On Sunday, we returned from the cold, dirty bush country to warm, balmy Durban. Then on Monday, flew to serious winter weather in Cape Town. It reminds me how huge and diverse the country is. We would start out the morning in tropical Durban, lunch in an elegant colonial plantation restaurant and by mid-afternoon be tromping down a rutted dirt road deep in rural Zulu country to the home of a basket weaver living in a little round hut with a thatched roof and no running water or electricity. We’ve stayed in three places with authentic thatched roofs. It was quite cold at night, 30s and 40s and our huts were warm and cozy even with no heat. And only one spider in the way of bugs.

Saturday, when we left the game reserve, we drove far into nowhere to Simunye Zulu cultural village. We left the bus and went four miles by foot, horseback, tractor or oxcart deep into a river gorge to the village. We stayed overnight in the Zulu village in a traditional rondavale (see picture) and attended their cultural program. It was outdoors and really cold. We had seen on the BBC News about the fire at Big Basin and took note of the instructions on what to do in case of fire there in the wilderness. Assemble at the bridge it said. Quite ironic, wince there is no way in hell to ever get out of here if there was a fire. One way out and an hour and a half minimum out of the gorge. It rode the oxcart out on Sunday morning. It was a beautiful, if jolting ride on the rough and deeply rutted road. The oxen handler constantly sang and whistled to the oxen to cajole them to haul us up the hill. He did stop briefly to answer a call on his cell phone.

After arriving in Cape Town, we drove to Stellenbosch in the wine country. Again, another world completely. Vineyards, orchards and Dutch Cape architecture with huge white manor houses surrounded by white walls. It was cold, windy and pouring rain. We had a mega-electrical storm in the afternoon and some of the rooms in the historic hotel were leaking.

We’ve eaten some traditional South African food such as bobotie,as well as some things I didn’t know existed, much less could be eaten, like ostrich, kudu, gammon, impala and gamsbok. There is butternut squash with every meal it seems.

Today, we drove down the coast to visit the penguin colony and the Cape of Good Hope. We are staying at the luxurious Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town for the rest of the week until departure. We have a gorgeous view of Table Mountain from our glass wall.