The Mountain, Hermanus and The Western Cape

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Today’s Vocabulary word: Laduma! A popular cheer at soccer matches, “he scores” (literally: “it thunders”, in Zulu)

There was something from our City Tour I forgot to mention and that is about the houses of Bo-Kaap. Bo-Kaap is one of Cape Town’s most colorful suburbs.

Bo-Kaap has a fascinating history. Many of the residents are descendants of the slaves from Malaysia, Indonesia and elsewhere in Africa who were imported to the Cape of Good Hope by the Dutch during the 16th and 17th centuries.

The slaves were known as “Cape Malays” (which is is a bit of a misnomer as most of the residents are not entirely of Malaysian descent). However the term has stuck and Bo-Kaap is known as the Cape Malay Quarter. All the houses there are painted with very bright colors. The reason for this is that slaves were not allowed to ware bright colors, just dark, drab clothes. When they were freed, painting the house in bright pink, orange, blue, etc., was their way of telling the world they no longer slaves.

It looks cloudy and overcast again today. I wanted Bob to go up top of Table Mountain but the view won’t be good and I'm not even sure the cable car runs when it’s cloudy. We decided to take the car (Bob is somewhat more comfortable since he drives to work and back everyday) and drive down the Western Cape. Someone Bob works with told him this drive was an even more beautiful than the one we took when we first arrived. That remains to be seen! I forgot to take a picture of the Mountain before we left this morning, but here is one as we were leaving Cape Town.

Although the weather was not at its best for the drive, there are some things so beautiful that weather is a mere detail. This was a nice drive though a mountain pass, up and over and then down to the coast. I snap pictures out the window, like a mad women, as Bob drives franticly (Somewhat like Disney’s Mr. Toads Wild Ride) at 120 km over these windy mountain roads. South Africans, for the most part, are very polite drivers. There is only one lane going in each direction but there is a small passing lane, a bit like the bike lane in America, where you pull over if you think the driver behind you wants to pass. It is the lane to the left of the yellow line in the first picture. Without fail, once past, they tap the hazard lights a few times to say, “Thanks”. It is an interesting nicety and I find myself now watching to be sure we get the expected acknowledgement. Here are some pictures on the way down the cape.

We headed for a town called Hermanus. This visually stunning, coastal community lies along the shores of Walker Bay near the Southern most tip of Africa. The magnificent mountains of the Overberg tower over the town – home of the Southern Right Whale.  Did you know that they were given the name "right" whale because they were the "right" ones to kill? They had the most whale oil and were considerate enough to float after they died so it made them easy to tow behind the boat to get them back to shore. (I’ll bet they wished they were called “wrong whales”) The Brydel Whales can be found here all year round. Whale enthusiasts and nature lovers from all over the world visit Hermanus to enjoy these magnificent creatures. Hermanus is the best land based whale watching destination in the world. It is known as the heart of the whale route. 

The popular cliff path stretches from one side of the town to the other.

They even have a Whale Crier.
The blow of the whale crier's horn has become a familiar and well-loved sound in the streets of Hermanus over the past decade. The kelp horn was first heard in Hermanus in August 1992. Pieter Claasen, then an employee of the Old Harbor, was the first Whale Crier.

Although Pieter initially had to endure the mockery of his local friends for dressing up as a 'papegaai' (parrot) his friendly manner and knowledge about whales soon endeared him to both visitors and locals. In the months of June through November, when Southern Right whales come to frolic, mate and calve in the warm waters of the bay, it was his mission to alert hundreds of shore-based whale watchers to the whereabouts of whales. He did this by blowing his kelp horn. The sandwich board he wore told whale watchers how to interpret the code which would lead them to the spots where the whales had been sighted.
Due to poor health, Pieter retired in 1998 and it was a great loss to all who had known him when Pieter died in 2000. In the time that Pieter had performed his job with gusto and enthusiasm he had become a beloved symbol for whale-watchers universally. His humble kelp horn had brought him fame by making him an international icon, but unfortunately never fortune, because Pieter Claasens was a man of moderate means when he died.

Wilson Salakusana took over from Pieter in 1998 and since then the fame of the world's only whale crier has grown even further.

Since he has taken up this position, Wilson has represented Hermanus at numerous occasions and has done much to publicize the town as one of the world's best whale watching destinations. The whale crier sure needs to be knowledgeable about whales, but says Wilson, "to be a really good whale crier like my late friend Pieter, you must be able to give the community excitement." This Wilson sure does, because he is extremely popular with the tourists and most definitely the most photographed man in Walker Bay!  Unfortunately for us, we didn't see any Whales, but the trip to this picturesque town was not diminished by their absence. The seas were choppy and the wind was blowing a good bit so maybe that was the problem



After a short time of unsucessful whale watching we went to a quaint little place called the Fisherman's Cottage for lunch.  This little "cutie" of a young South African waited on us.

The seating area was small and this one waiter did it all. They had a wood burning stove right in the dining room and it was a cozy welcome from the wind and dampness.

This is the entire place!
 

 
We chose the special of the day which was Blue Nose ( a local fish caught right off the cape), pumpkin fritters (oh so good) and a small green salad. Again, Bob is in heaven, trying all the local wines. The Sauvignon Blanc’s from this region are nothing like the New Zealand ones we are so used to drinking. They are more crisp, minerally and austere. Delicious and a perfect match to the fish we have been eating at every turn.

 
This was a cool sign we spotted in the middle of town we thought was fun!
 

As I have mentioned before, the flora here is something to behold.  I learned on our city tour that there are 8,000species of flora here, 69% of which are found no where else in the world.  Because it is winter, very few are blooming right now but here are a few we spotted.

Bird of Paradise (aptly named) are bloooming every where here even though it is winter.

This one is protea (my favorite flower) and to the touch, it doesn't even feel real. It is kind of hairy and woody. They grow wild all over Table Mountain but don't do well if transplanted. Some have had limited luck growing them in other parts of Africa but they often die suddenly, without warning. They are used in flower arrangements in all stages of bloom from just opening to a dried look at the end. Gorgeous!

 
 

 
After lunch we had to get back to Cape Town for Bob to prepare a presentation. He is here, afterall, to work! I could have stayed all day but duty calls. The drive back was along the coast and although it was very nice (weather aside) it was no match for our first cape drive on the other side. The mountain is on the right and the ocean is on the left. There are huge rocks that tumble down the mountain all the time so the landscape is unusual to behold. Here are some photos from the return trip.

This is the mountain side:

 

 This is the ocean side

On the drive home we passed many “informal settlements” In the US we would call them “slums” although our “slums” would be an upgrade. Apartheid aside, there is still a huge disparity between “the haves” and “the have not’s”. My heart aches each time we pass them. They start just outside the city limit and sometimes stretch as far as the eye can see. For the most part they are lean-to’s. The interesting thing is that they have electricity run to them.

When Bob finished his work we went back to the Quay Four for some more of their delicious food. Although I did bring the camera, we were paying the bill before I realized I didn’t snap any pictures. (Sorry “Foodies”)



 By the way, while I was blogging today, I did the laundry like a good African woman. I went to the river (bathroom sink) and beat the clothes with a rock (washed by hand in the sink) and hung them to dry on nearby bushes (over the radiator in our room). Ahh, fresh undies, a delight less often appreciated at home.
Thanks for all the great feedback about the blog. Here are a few of my favorites: “hurry and post the next blog, I am really tired but can’t go to sleep until I find out what is going on in Africa”, “Thanks for letting us see this amazing country through your eyes” , “ We have loved following along on your adventure, so much so I feel like you have saved us the trip and we should just send you the check” ( well, OK ) “This is better than the travel channel”, “What a fun trip. I feel like we are right there with you without the long plane ride”.
I am not sure what I will do tomorrow (aside from photograph the mountain and shop for my Caftan) but whatever it is, I will have fun.Love to you all,


Christine