Having lived briefly in Lusaka, Zambia a few years ago, I only had that metropolitan city as a baseline of what to expect in Cape Town. But Cape Town is full of surprises. It is a city chock full of dichotomies…surrounded by some of the most spectacular natural scenery, there is no direction you can look in from the center of the city that doesn´t give you pause. Table Mountain – a majestic, flat-topped mountain that is truly the backdrop of the city…Lion’s Head – a solitary, strange-shaped peak next door to the Table…and the beautiful oceanfront that brackets the city on the opposite side. And then you look at the city itself – a patchwork of lovely neighborhoods that seem totally intermixed with areas that you are warned not to walk through after dark. One street is safe, the next isn’t even in broad daylight. This street has vibrant bars and restaurants with lots of young people having a grand time in the evenings…but be sure to hail a cab doorstep-to-doorstep just to be safe. The variety of ethnic foods from all corners of the world can be found here, and wonderful community food and craft markets happen many weeknights and on the weekends…but be sure not to carry or wear valuables in plain sight – mugging is commonplace. Yet there is the sense that the city folk want to make the relatively new formula of no colorline work. People are friendly and welcoming overall, and the city is a rainbow of ethnic groups – yet the distinctions are very clear in conversation…Afrikaans, coloreds, blacks and Indian…and the rest of us.
And then there are the townships. Leave the center of the city and there they are. Stacked shacks made of corrugated metal and plaster, insufferably close together and rundown…miles of it. To hear Ruthie tell it many people move into these townships each day despite that fact that there isn’t any more room for them. Lots of volunteer work goes on to provide services to the townships, but it isn’t ever enough. We went with Ruth and her organization Greenpop to plant trees with youngsters at a school that serves kids from the nearby township…the school grounds are well-kept, kids have tidy uniforms and are well-mannered and curious. Yet they go home to the township and it is hard to imagine what the rest of their life is like outside the classroom.
And then we took a day and wandered through one of many routes that follow the wineries in the West Cape area. Lovely, even elegant grounds, amazing wine tasting and upscale local markets to graze…and we have now ended up at a remote retreat along the Garden route that is about as close to Napa Valley elegance as you can get – with even more spectacular views and insulated safety in a farm community.
I am so confused. I am processing. I cannot express the variety of emotions I have been feeling along this journey so far…perhaps my next entry will find me able to share that.
Living La Vida Loca 