Vocabulary Word for the Day: bakkie (said bucky) - Pick up truck
Last night, we went to the waterfront to have dinner. Usually, we would shy away from that area because the prices are exorbitant and the food is often not remarkable. Luckily, the few restaurants we've tried have had amazing food and the prices ( by American standards) have been great. Most nights we have had starters, entrees (with great South African wines) and dessert for both of us at around $60.00. I don't think we do that well at home. We have been raving to each other about how reasonable the high end restaurants here are. Last night we finally found the exception. The place was "Balthazar" and it was right on the harbor where the yachts pull in. In retrospect, what were we thinking? They seated us outside, overlooking the water and we were promptly greeted by our Aussie waiter. All seemed well until I opened the menu. Oh my goodness. Prices ran in the thousands of Rand. I have never been great with math but I knew there were way too many zero's for my liking. Now what to do? Bob had ordered a glass of wine.The "complimentary" bread and little pot of sausages with a red sauce and a ground spicy meat was already on the table. We looked at the menu for a long while and sent the waiter away several times as we formed our battle plan. We feigned a late lunch and apologized for not being hungry enough for dinner. I wish I'd had the courage to say, "Are you nuts? What are you thinking with these prices?" Instead, we each ordered an appetizer and got out for around $40.00 just for that. Needless to say, I ate their bread and little pot of sausages!
We left there and wondered down to the adjacent Marina to a place called Quay four.
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Bob had sushi and I went the wild game route (again). You could choose from Kudu (a type of venison), Impala, Wart Hog, Ostrich and Spring Bok. I found out from the waitress that they have game farms where they raise these animals, similar to the way we raise beef, for sale to restaurants. I was all in!!! I went with the Kudu, Ostrich and Wart Hog. They were done with a "zesty chocolate and orange jus" and some grilled veggies. I was in game heaven. Delicious seems inadequate.
This was Bob's
This was mine
This morning, when I stepped out onto the balcony to see my love (The Mountain) she was gone (Oh NO!!)
AN AFRICAN EXORCISM
Remember the lady at the market I blogged about before, Monique. Her husband had died and two of her children painted. I have looked all over Cape Town from the upper end galleries at the waterfront to the lower end open air flea markets and there is no doubt in my mind that the paintings she sells are the best. The colors are wonderful and I love the scenes from tribal life that they depict. I wanted Bob to be in on the selection since he will have to live with them as well, so off to the waterfront we went. We entered the African Crafts building from the opposite end so we had to go all the way to the other side to find her. As we approached and our eyes met, she jumped up from her chair and said, "Christine, it is you!" As if I had been a long lost relative. We shared a big hug and I introduced her to Bob. We spent a little time picking out our painting and then she handed us a stack of small canvases and told us to pick from the pile as she wanted to give us one as a gift. We were both surprised but warmed by the gesture. When all the business was done and money was exchanged she asked me how my back was. I laughed and said, "Same as always, Monique, it hurts!" She then told me a long story (some of which I didn't catch because even though she speaks English, it is with a heavy Afrikaans accent). It was about her daughter and some illness she had when she was very young but miraculosly she was cured before she had to have a big operation. Many of the African women I have met are deeply religious. I tried to figure out what religion they practice but they don't name denominations like Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, etc. Instead, they just proclaim a committment to Jesus Christ. She went on to tell me that God loves me and doesn't want me to hurt or be in pain. She said the devil was in me (no argument from me on that one) and more specifically, he was in my back. Apparently, all we had to do was get him out of there and I would be fine. She took me by the hand and asked me to step outside. She left her booth unattended to do this. Bob and I followed her outside where she had me sit on a bench and then she told me she was going to pray over me. Okay, dokay I said, if it will help then let's get to it.
She placed a flat hand on my upper chest in front and a flat hand on my lower back and applied slight pressure to force me into a straight up sitting position. Suddenly, she launched into a prayer ( In Afrikaans, of course) that I did not need to know the language to understand. Her voice level rose and fell with each incantation. I just knew when she was telling that devil to leave me and get out of my back. She would get louder as she threatened him. She called upon God to make it happen. She would say the same sentence three times, each time getting louder and louder. I didn't even think about it then but I can imagine what all the passer byes must have thought. Bob just sat quietly next to me, but those of you who know him, know he was giving her "the face". Mostly because he was caught totally off guard. So was I. Neither of us were expecting a public exorcism but she is such a gentle, kind woman that at the time it seemed like the most natural thing on earth.
After she was finished, we again shared a warm hug, said our goodbyes and we were on our way. Neither Bob, nor I mentioned it for the rest of the day but I know we both were thinking about it.
City Sightseeing
The bad weather also canceled our whale watching trip so we decided to hop a sight seeing bus and have a look at the city. After proclaiming that I don't do the "touristy" things, here we are on the double decker open air tourist bus.
Other than riding the cable car up table mountain, I can't imagine that there is a more "touristy" thing to do. In all fairness, it is a cheap way to get around. It costs R120 which is about $17.00 and it takes you all over the city, up to Table mountain and back home along the coastline. It gives you lots of little trivia that makes for an interesting blog. You can hop on and off as much as you want and as long as you don't miss the last bus to your stop of origin, you are golden.
Our first hop off the bus was at St. George's Cathedral. It is a Victorian Gothic design and is more famous for its history than for its style. I did find it interesting that the Christ is depicted as black in most of the representations.
We then took a short walk down the street to the Slave Lodge.
This is a model of how the building looked back then. The courtyard was the only place they could get fresh air. Unfortunately, that is where the latrines were located and they said it smelled worse outside than inside. Also, it is where the floggings took place so I'm guessing it was not a "happy place".
This was a gut wrenching trip through the history of slavery on the Cape. Having lived in the south for most of my adult life, I am fairly well versed in the history of slavery in the United States. I really didn't know much about slavery in South Africa but I have remedied that today. The Dutch who came here to settle the colonies realized they didn't have the labor force to do what needed to be done so they asked that slaves be sent to do the hard labor. They quickly figured out that it would not be in their own best interest to enslave the indigenous people so they imported the slaves from India,Indonesia, Mozambique and Madagascar. The story of their capture and transport was so painful that at times, I just had to walk outside and get some air. This is a picture of how they were placed in the belly of the ship for transport.
The phrase that resounds around Cape Town in this new era is "We are, because of them." During my time here and my many conversations with black South Africans, there is one significant difference that I have noticed. In the states, many black Americans are resentful and angry (understandably so) about their history of slavery. Many believe that there should be reparations because of what was done to their ancestors. There is no defense for slavery nor should there be. The difference here is that the black South Africans are proud of their ancestors and of their heritage. That is not to say they don't abhor the enslavement, but they know this place would not exist if not for their ancestors. They are not a bitter or angry people. Rather, a warm and loving people who just want to move on in a peaceful existence. A very different perspective for the same atrocity.
Our next stop was The South African National Gallery.
It houses an excellent collection of contemporary South African Art. There were the usual portraits such as this
and paintings like this
some seascapes like this
The most odd exhibit was Jane Alexander's powerful ghoulish plaster, bone and horn sculpture, The Butcher Boys, created at the height of apartheid repression. It features three, life-sized figures with distorted faces that exude a chilling passivity, expressing the artist's interest in the way violence is conveyed through the human figure. I'll have to admit, it stopped me in my tracks.
Alexander's work is representative of "resistance art", which exploded in the 1980's broadly as a response to the growing repression of apartheid. It is so haunting that you can't just walk by it. You stop and look and then look some more. It has been hours since I saw it and still can't stop thinking about it. Very strange, indeed.
The Company Gardens
The gallery is flanked by the Company Gardens which is a large public park and botanical garden set in the heart of Cape Town, home to a rose garden, Japanese garden, fish pond and aviary.
This little guy was just hanging out on the grass outside the gallery. He looked like a duck but had the longest legs I have ever seen on a duck!
This guy was hanging out there too. Must have been something good to eat in the grass.
These water plants grow in the fountains
After the gallery we hopped the bus back to the hotel and got caught in a torrential downpour while walking home. We decided to eat here at the hotel again. Here is the hallway leading to the dining room.
Bob got the ostrich that I had the other night, the one with the banana and I got the duck. It was prepared with a mint sauce and blueberries. Awesome!
By the way ladies, on the way to dinner we looked in some of the shops at the waterfront and I think I am closing in on the caftan. Stay tuned. Love to you all, Christine
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