South Africa 2017 - Final Thoughts

Pre-day 1 Cape Town



We were picked up at the airport by our ABD representative and driven to the Table Bay Hotel. Cape Town is a very pretty city similar in many regards to other coastal cities like San Diego or Sydney. But right outside the airport we passed some of the townships where the poorest live in shacks they’ve mostly built themselves. This is definitely not something I’ve personally seen much of. I suppose you see these makeshift towns in many places, but these were very large communities. Much more about that tomorrow.



The Table Bay Hotel is a beautiful hotel right on the harbor. When we arrived they were serving tea in the lounge with a pianist there. It was lovely and I enjoyed spending a couple of evenings hanging out in the lounge for tea or later wine and just reading. Check in was painless and they offered refreshments. It was nice to finally arrive and relax. We checked out the room which was nice and walked along the waterfront behind the hotel. By this time it was around 4:30pm I knew we would want to eat early and get to bed early so I found an awesome restaurant - Chef’s Warehouse. They don’t take reservations, and it was recommended as one of the best restaurants in Cape Town. You have to get there early or the lines can be an hour or more. We Uber’d over which was cheap. I think it was a couple of dollars (in SA Rand of course).



Chef’s Warehouse was a small restaurant which has lots of food and spices and cooking items displayed. I guess they were for sell… It’s a chef’s warehouse after all, but the atmosphere was pretty cool and very casual. We were the first there for dinner (it did get crowded later) and they sat us by the window which was cool. The food is pre-fixe and is amazing. They bring out the food in groups. First was Kingklip sashimi, tuna, and fried calamari. All of which was outstanding. 2nd was gnocchi and risotto. To Gavin’s memory it was the first time he’s had either. He ate both, but really liked the risotto. They were both amazing. Last was pork croquettes, silverfish, and lamb. The waiter recommended a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and later a Shiraz. Both awesome. In fact I don’t think I’ve had a bad wine on this trip. South African wine is inexpensive and amazing. I’m certainly no expert, but it reminds me a lot of Australian wines. Here’s some pics. As you see, sometimes I started eating the dish before taking the photo. Gavin helped me remember.



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Calamari, tuna, and a kingklip sashimi (or crudo is probably a better description)



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The calamari was fresh and nice and light.



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Gnocchi half eaten [hangs head in shame] :)



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the silverfish (probably my least favorite of all the dishes)



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the lamb hiding under there



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and pork croquette



I’d strongly recommend this place. They were not screwing around with their food. Afterwards we grabbed an uber back. We walked around the Victoria and Alfred (not Albert) waterfront for a few minutes. There were street musicians playing African music which was cool. We stopped in a couple of shops and then headed back to the hotel.



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the seal behind our hotel that I guess was the icon for the Table Bay Hotel?? We saw it a few different places around the hotel.



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and majestic Table Mountain



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overall a very nice hotel for ABD.



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We hung out in the lounge for just a bit. Gavin got a Shirley Temple and I got a glass of red wine. I think it was a Pinotage. Pinotage is a grape created as a hybrid of Pinot Noir and Hermitage. It’s unique to South Africa and illegal to take the grapes or stems out of South Africa. Of course no problem with taking wine out. SA is just protecting its unique grape.



So, after getting off the plane it was pretty much a relaxed day. Tomorrow would be the official start of the ABD. Nothing is scheduled for the day per se. Many guests arrived on this day. I’d recommend arriving a bit earlier if you can to help with the jet lag or any travel delays. Our plan tomorrow was to go to the Old Biscuit Mill market and take a tour of the townships. More on that later…
 
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But right outside the airport we passed some of the townships where the poorest live in the shacks they’ve mostly built themselves. This is definitely not something I’ve personally seen much of. I suppose you see these makeshift towns in many places, but these were very large communities. Much more about that tomorrow.

Those are quite shocking, aren't they? What surprised me was that every time you get on the highway, you pass the settlements, one after the other. Our private guide told us they all have a television. They also hijack hydro lines. But none have indoor plumbing. Very, very sad. I have never seen anything like it.

Your food pics look amazing! If you have a chance try some Chuckles from Woolworth's. They are quite yummy.

How many are in your tour group?
 
After seeing your FB posts, I am eagerly awaiting the Simba and Nala photos. That restaurant sounds like serious foodie heaven. This trip might make my list. Question does it occur prior to London, Vietnam, Winter in Wyoming, or a Alaska DCL.....Decisions decisions. 2019 decisions as my 2018 trips are booked :)

Glad your having a good time.
 


Those are quite shocking, aren't they? What surprised me was that every time you get on the highway, you pass the settlements, one after the other. Our private guide told us they all have a television. They also hijack hydro lines. But none have indoor plumbing. Very, very sad. I have never seen anything like it.

Your food pics look amazing! If you have a chance try some Chuckles from Woolworth's. They are quite yummy.

How many are in your tour group?

I was surprised to see many do have satellite dishes, but they are very sad to see. More on that later.

After seeing your FB posts, I am eagerly awaiting the Simba and Nala photos. That restaurant sounds like serious foodie heaven. This trip might make my list. Question does it occur prior to London, Vietnam, Winter in Wyoming, or a Alaska DCL.....Decisions decisions. 2019 decisions as my 2018 trips are booked :)

Glad your having a good time.

There's definitely some good food here both on and off the ABD. Not to a Northern Italy/Swiss level but very good. As you've probably seen on my FB page, this is a photographer's dream. I think if I were to return, I'd bring an even better lens and maybe upgrade the camera body as well. I'm shooting with a Nikon D7100 and I just brought a Nikon 18-200mm lens.

Thanks for your report. Love to follow along. Cheers.

Thanks!
 
Day 1 Cape Town



This is the first full official day of the ABD, but other than meeting the guides there’s no scheduled activities. Several guests arrived this morning. The breakfast is very good with an array of standard breakfast items you’d find in any international hotel. They have a room dedicated to fruit juices which were quite good and a waffle/crepe bar where they make them to order. There was a pianist playing in the dining room with windows that looked out to the harbor and across to Table Mountain.



After breakfast we took an Uber to the Old Biscuit Mill about 15min away. It was Sat morning which is their busiest morning and when they have a lot more food and craft stalls set up. It was great. We probably should have had a very light breakfast and eaten an early lunch here. There were so many stalls set up with all sorts of food from homemade ice cream, honey, fruit slushy’s, pizzas, paella, on and on. There was an area for craft sellers offering all sorts of South African knick knacks. A lot was pretty common stuff you’ll see on the V&A Waterfront and many other places. I found a jeweler who had her own shop in Cape Town but brings some of her offerings here on the weekend and bought 2 handmade necklaces. We walked around a bit more and I tried some more Pinotage at a wine shop. Good stuff.



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BTW, there is a restaurant here called Test Kitchen which is on the Top 50 restaurants of the world list. I tried to get reservations, but they were booked up.



We headed back to the hotel around noon as we had an afternoon tour of a Township to meet up with at 2pm. We basically skipped lunch as we still weren’t very hungry from breakfast. I’ll save the township tour for the next post as I think it deserves it. And as I type this we’re about to board our flight to Victoria Falls.



Cheers!


(Tip of the day - In SA airports, porters will approach you wanting to help with your bags. We’ve mainly seen this in Johannesburg transferring from international to domestic terminals. They’re friendly, but will want to help you for a tip. You can just tell them no thanks. Not a big deal, but since I’ve never seen that before, I’m guessing it might come as a surprise for others too.)
 
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So who took that last photo of you? Is Gavin becoming a photographer, too? :)

Sayhello
 


Your photos are already making me wish this trip was in our budget for 2019 -- and we haven't even gotten to the ABD portion.

What exactly is silverfish? I only know one meaning for that word and it refers to a nasty little pest that prefers the dark and damp. (I tried google and got a bunch of yucky, creepy, crawly photos).

Safe travels to Victoria Falls.
 
I think if I were to return, I'd bring an even better lens and maybe upgrade the camera body as well. I'm shooting with a Nikon D7100 and I just brought a Nikon 18-200mm lens.

Well, I've been dying over your FB pics, so that lens (and the photographer behind it) are doing a great job.
 
So who took that last photo of you? Is Gavin becoming a photographer, too? :)

Sayhello

Gavin... iPhone portrait mode works well.

Your photos are already making me wish this trip was in our budget for 2019 -- and we haven't even gotten to the ABD portion.

What exactly is silverfish? I only know one meaning for that word and it refers to a nasty little pest that prefers the dark and damp. (I tried google and got a bunch of yucky, creepy, crawly photos).

Safe travels to Victoria Falls.

Gross.. glad I didn't think of that type of silverfish at dinner. It was a white light fish I think. It was pan fried, so it was a little hard to discern the true texture of the fish. I never encountered the fish again on the trip. Kingklip I saw several times.

Well, I've been dying over your FB pics, so that lens (and the photographer behind it) are doing a great job.

Thanks! You definitely have a sneak preview with FB of what's coming up. Finished a great day at Vic Falls today. Heading to Botswana for the day tomorrow.
 
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Can't wait to see more of these awesome pics you guys are talking about! I bet there is some amazing shots to be captured. My husband just bought some new lenses and a full body camera and justified it with our upcoming Sea Dream Yacht cruise in February. I laughed and told him I expect some pretty awesome pictures from it. So glad to hear that you've found this to be an amazing trip.
 
Day 1 Cape Town (continued)



At 2:00pm we were picked up at the hotel by Chippa to take us on a tour of the Langa Township. I went with Siviwe Tours as it is tour company based out of the Township and all the money goes back to the township. It also had excellent reviews on tripadvisor. The 2+ hour tour was 1000 Rand (~$75) for both of us including transfers from the hotel. He was a terrific guide who discussed recent South African history, the creation of the townships, Apartheid, and changes beginning with Nelson Mandela being released from prison and eventually becoming president. He also talked about the current state of politics in South Africa and it’s recent challenges. Much of this was on the way over to the township ~15-20 minutes.



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Townships were originally created to move the men from surrounding villages into the city to work. It was men only and they would get a week or two around Christmas to go home to their families. Later with Apartheid, thousands of non white people were forcibly removed from their homes including District 6 and were relocated to these townships. The townships were segregated. So you had blacks in one township, and mixed races (Malay, Indian, etc) in a different townships. The were restricted with how much they could travel in and out of their townships and even between different townships.



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Today many men, women and children live there. Most of their homes are homemade with metal and wood - essentially shacks. No running water. Many were hooked up to electricity in a dangerous looking haphazard way. Fires are common. Some had very basic tv’s hooked to satellites. There was a range of economic situations - all very poor. Some shacks housed a dozen or more people. Some just 4 or 5. My guide grew up in the township and said when he became a young adult he built his own place for privacy. He said he was one of the more fortunate people having a job and now lives in the “Beverly Hills of Langa”. The government is slowly building Mandela homes which are comparatively nice concrete permanent homes, but it’s not without it’s complexities. Some residents who are awarded a home, try to sell or at least rent out the home for income and stay in the township. Certainly unemployment is very high here. You must speak English to get a job and many don’t speak English. At this point English is now being taught in the schools, so hopefully employment will improve for this next generation.



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We walked around Langa for about 2 hours visiting different homes and families. We saw many women entrepreneurs selling calf heads and other foods to eat. Our guide said Fathers do not commonly stay with the families, so most families are a single mother, her children and her mom doing what they can to survive. We never felt in danger. He did say visiting during the day is no problem, but we wouldn’t be as safe at night. There is a major drug problem especially with men - mostly Meth.



Basically we would visit a home, discuss living conditions, politics, hopes and dreams. We would then leave and thank the homeowner and he would discretely pay them some money.



Here they’re fermenting homemade beer… and the 2nd picture is “beer alley”



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We had a wonderful long conversation with one older gentleman who grew up during Apartheid. He worked as a police officer for the township. He shared his very powerful experiences. He was always positive and optimistic in the conversation which was quite moving to me personally. He was very proud of his home which was impressive by Langa standards with it’s light, kitchen and a couple of rooms with a built in fan for cooling and retractible sunroof (for lack of a better descriptor), but nevertheless it was a shack by our standards.



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Gavin and I were very moved by the experience. Keep in mind that many of the hospitality staff you encounter live in the townships and commute in. I felt it was something we needed to see. It was very well worth it, and I would strongly recommend it.



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Afterwards we were driven back to the hotel. Of course it was a stark contrast arriving back into the hotel. It certainly gave me a new appreciation for what we have.



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We arrived in time for tea, and that seems to be a big thing at the Table Bay. We both had tea and cake. Gavin wasn’t into the tea so I had a sampling of two - One African and I think it was a Ceylon tea. It was nice.



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During tea Gavin got up to look around for the guides a few times and finally found them on the 2nd floor above the lobby. He was extremely excited, so we went over to say hello. We had Craig and Jennae. Craig is from Cape Town and Jennae we have had before in Southeast Asia. We were so excited to be traveling with her again.



That night we ate at Fork. Trendy with extremely good food. It was a little different from last night as it’s more tapas style. We ordered Moroccan meatballs, seared ostrich (which was a tender red meat - very good), seared tuna, a kingklip sashimi special and churros. It was delicious. I’d recommend this restaurant. Of the two, I’d have to give it to Chef’s Warehouse, but they were both excellent and worth a visit.



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We caught an Uber back and relaxed at the hotel a bit. Overall a great day, but we were excited about tomorrow with the start of the ABD activities.
 
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Thanks for the update- the tour of Langa Township sounds very interesting and thought provoking. We were with Jennae over Christmas during the Rhine Tour so I can understand your excitement at seeing her again. SE Asia, South Africa, Europe-she really is a Renaissance ABD guide!
 
Just curious, how old is your son? And would you recommend that tour for younger? How did he handle it?
 
Thanks for the update- the tour of Langa Township sounds very interesting and thought provoking. We were with Jennae over Christmas during the Rhine Tour so I can understand your excitement at seeing her again. SE Asia, South Africa, Europe-she really is a Renaissance ABD guide!

I agree! She's awesome! Hope to travel with her again some day.

Just curious, how old is your son? And would you recommend that tour for younger? How did he handle it?

He's 12. I was surprised with how many children aged 9-13 we had. It seemed like more than usual compared to the other ABDs I've done. The children all had a fantastic time. The perfect age probably starts to peak around 10, but 8 and possibly a bit younger (if well traveled) would be fine. Honestly I've been thinking about that too, because I have a 4yo at home and I'd love to do this ABD again with her as well... maybe in 4+ yrs...
 
We took the same tour with our 3 kids before our December 2015 ABD. It was an incredible experience and my kids learned so much and really took it in stride - even the calf heads (they were 9,9 and 11 at the time and I had some concerns but I was really proud of how they handled it). One of the highlights for me for the whole trip, including the ABD portion, was my sons joining in a pick up soccer game in the streets of Langa with the local boys. The boys spoke some English, but talking wasn't really necessary, kids are just kids everywhere you go. Also, if you are looking for a good way to introduce concepts of apartheid and the importance of Mandela, we thought the movie Invictus was terrific and by using sports really kept our kids interest. The book it is based on is also terrific and provides a great glimpse into the political history of Mandela's rise. I will stop myself now, didn't mean to hijack this thread, but seeing these pictures bring back so many wonderful memories of the trip -- thanks for sharing your journey.
 
We took the same tour with our 3 kids before our December 2015 ABD. It was an incredible experience and my kids learned so much and really took it in stride - even the calf heads (they were 9,9 and 11 at the time and I had some concerns but I was really proud of how they handled it). One of the highlights for me for the whole trip, including the ABD portion, was my sons joining in a pick up soccer game in the streets of Langa with the local boys. The boys spoke some English, but talking wasn't really necessary, kids are just kids everywhere you go. Also, if you are looking for a good way to introduce concepts of apartheid and the importance of Mandela, we thought the movie Invictus was terrific and by using sports really kept our kids interest. The book it is based on is also terrific and provides a great glimpse into the political history of Mandela's rise. I will stop myself now, didn't mean to hijack this thread, but seeing these pictures bring back so many wonderful memories of the trip -- thanks for sharing your journey.

I had just watched Invictus on the plane ride over... actually at my son's recommendation. His humanities teacher recommended it to him. Incredible movie. So, when Craig our guide discussed very honestly and openly his own emotional transition, he said if he had to pick one point in time that changed his thinking it was that World Cup game when Mandela came out wearing the Springboks colors and giving his speech. It was amazing hearing the story of that movie come to life with our guide, Craig.
 
Wow! That township tour sounds really intense! But I can see how it's very necessary to see this side of things to really understand South Africa & it's history and just it's culture in general. I'm glad Gavin was OK with it. I'm sure both of you learned a ton from it!

Sayhello
 
Wow! That township tour sounds really intense! But I can see how it's very necessary to see this side of things to really understand South Africa & it's history and just it's culture in general. I'm glad Gavin was OK with it. I'm sure both of you learned a ton from it!

Sayhello

I was indecisive about whether to do it, but the numerous strong reviews on tripadvisor solidified it for me. Our guide Chippa ("not expensive" as he says) couldn't have made the experience more comfortable and relaxed. My main concern was we would be seen as intruders just coming to stare, but I don't think that was the case. I think the people of Langa feel neglected and overlooked by the gov't and they want to increase awareness. I bumped into a young woman (not from Langa) who was working with Langa to improve their presence on social media and try to promote tours such as this to help get the word out that they exist and presumably help out their local economy a bit with tourism. Overall, it was a great experience.
 
I was indecisive about whether to do it, but the numerous strong reviews on tripadvisor solidified it for me. Our guide Chippa ("not expensive" as he says) couldn't have made the experience more comfortable and relaxed. My main concern was we would be seen as intruders just coming to stare, but I don't think that was the case. I think the people of Langa feel neglected and overlooked by the gov't and they want to increase awareness. I bumped into a young woman (not from Langa) who was working with Langa to improve their presence on social media and try to promote tours such as this to help get the word out that they exist and presumably help out their local economy a bit with tourism. Overall, it was a great experience.
Well, they're succeeding. I had no idea about this! I'd heard of townships, but your post was very eye opening. They should put your post on their social media.

Sayhello
 

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