July - Dec 2003 NEWSLETTER
| 'WINTER' IN CAPE TOWN - ROOIBOS GLUHWEIN MUGGED BY A BABOON! KALAHARI BIRTHDAY SAFARI & SEPTEMBER 2004 CAPE TO KALAHARI SAFARI INFO MANDELA'S BIRTHDAY & 46662 CONCERT KAROO EQINOX TRIP OUTSIDE MAGAZINE GUESTS - GREG CHILD AND JIMMY CHIN - TOWNSHIP BICYCLE TOUR |
'WINTER' IN CAPE TOWN
I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of weather and tranquility of my second Cape Town winter. Cape Town has a mediterranean climate with winter rainfall from around May to August and long dry hot summers over October to April. From July on, the annual display of 'fynbos' (fine bush) flowers begins gradually to replace the dry summer bush. Locals call it the 'green season'. This winter began very late which was bad for the water situation. It was also very mild, with temperatures mostly oscillating between 14°C and 25°C ( 57°F and 77°F). Sunny warm days then a few rainy ones. It is often fairly easy to escape the rain by heading an hour or two into the interior, behind the mountain ranges. Also if it's raining on one side of Cape Town, it is likely that the sun is shining on the other. The mountain range (the Cape Peninsula National Park) that the city and suburbs wrap themselves around, can create four seasons in one day. And four seasons in a month is normal! Last year I hiked up Lion's Head at midday on the 21st of June - mid-winter's day, in shorts, in a sweltering 27 degrees C ( 84F). Twenty-five days later on July 16th 2002, Rick and Tamyra from Atlanta and I summited Table Mountain in a brief snow blizzard.
We had a spell of snow this August and again in October. People headed for the mountains to marvel, play and ski. Snow is a novelty in most parts of South Africa. Several feet of it fell on top of Table Mountain and lots in the Cape fold mountains - Stellenbosch winelands, the Cederberg ... some snow flakes were even reported in the City and Simon's Town on the peninsula - apparently a first.
Looking north: Summit of Lion's Head from Table Mountain.
Robben Island is visible out to the right.
WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO...
Some fantastic trips - peninsula tours, hikes and climbing expeditions on Table Mountain, cycling trips in townships, hiking trips at Cape Point, climbing in the Cederberg, a west coast photographic tour as well as organising permits, qualifications, brochures, designing tours for 2004 & 2005, and buying a Land Rover!
Other winter activities included: whale watching, warm weather braais (BBQs) and 'fire crawling' around the peninsula with friends on the cold days. 'Fire crawling' is hopping from one warm hearth to another on a chilly winter's day. A guide friend and I managed three on one afternoon. Starting at the Boulders Beach Guesthouse with hot chocolate & whiskey, then tea and red wine with Frans, the owner and his family at their house overlooking False Bay. Finally, dinner and gluhwein with family friends and artists in Hout Bay.
In South Africa we make gluhwein using rooibos (red bush tea), red wine, oranges with cloves, nutmeg, etc. Very good! Rooibos (or 'Red bush' pronounced Roy - like the name and 'bos' with the o as in 'or') 'tea' is an aromatic herbal infusion made from the leaves of an indigenous bush, Aspalathus linearis, found in the Cederberg mountains of the Western Cape It is known for its health properties, apparently has more anti-oxidants than green tea, has no tanin and no caffeine. It is now available in many parts of the world, and is good drunk hot or cold - and in gluhwein!
MUGGED BY A BABOON!
At the end of May my guests for a Cape Peninsula trip were Deborah and Richard Casillas from Santa Fe. As we were walking up to Cape Point, a baboon rushed past and grabbed the plastic bag with water, camera etc. that Richard had been carrying. Fortunately, unlike other muggers, baboons are only after food! He stopped a few yards away, tore open the packet, spread the contents on the ground, saw no food and ran off leaving the camera unharmed.
Unfortunately the Cape Point baboons are notorious for grabbing food from people. This stems from tourists who, keen to get close-up photos, attract them with food. Unfortunately this instills a fearlessness of humans and undesirable behaviour patterns. This is my second baboon mugging. One cannot have animals with incisors longer than a lion's grabbing ice-creams from people's hands. People who intentionally feed them (should) get fined and sadly if the behaviour becomes too aggressive, the baboon is shot.
A LAND ROVER CALLED 'RHINO'
In August I flew up to Johannesburg to buy a Land Rover from my long time friend and safari colleague Vaughan Blackman who has gone back to studying for the time being. The Land Rover is well kitted out for safaris, with comfortable coach seats at the back, roof rack, winch, etc. Vaughan took some friends of mine from Santa Fe on a Botswana safari in this Landy back in 2001, so it is well trained too. Being so big and solid, a friend likened it to a rhino and the name seems to have stuck.
KALAHARI BIRTHDAY SAFARI
Next I persuaded my Mom, Jean, (who is part of the African Essence Team) to join me on a 10 day trip from Joburg to Cape Town via the Kalahari desert, Namaqualand and the Cederberg mountains.
The Kalahari is in a far flung north western corner of South Africa, and extends into both Namibia and Botswana. One of the 'Peace Parks' - the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park incorporates parts of all three countries.
On our way to the park we stayed at Prof Ann Rasa's rustic bush camp set in red Kalahari dunes. 'Prof' is an entomologist. She took us on a wonderful walk early one chilly morning. We found heaps of spoor (animal and insect footprints), including that of a female aardvark! At Prof's house an orphaned meerkat or 'suricate' charmed the visitors with its antics.
Following morning - sunrise & moon set
Mom and I celebrated my 33rd birthday out at the bush camp among the rosy dunes. (Directions: Follow the road past 4 dunes, turn right and drive about 2 kms. Bush Camp is on the left.) Springbok bounded away as our Land Rover approached them, and gemsbok, ostriches and hartebeest watched us from the crests of the dunes flanking the track.
It was a beautiful evening with big purple rain clouds on one side and the western sky was bright orange, and to top it all, a full moon. Later the land was bathed in soft white light and we could see animals drinking at the water hole across the valley. Mom and I cooked dinner on the fire, drank wine and sat talking and staring at the bright starry sky. Not much beats the myriad display of southern stars seen through the crystal-clear desert air.
MEETING THE KHOMANI BUSHMEN
Earlier that first evening we stopped in at Prof Ann's main guest house and I mentioned a book I had just read. It is called 'The Healing Land' by Rupert Isaacson, part of which is about the Khomani bushman clan in that area, their struggles over their land claim, their hopes, fears, social problems, friends, poverty and politics as well as their sacred wisdom and medicinal powers. This book is a window into the life of the modern bushmen. The Prof motioned over to the fire where two figures stood. Jason, a Capetonian who is living with Dawid Kruiper, their leader and his family and Ou Nooi, a Khomani tracker. Dawid is one of the main characters featured in the 'The Healing Land' .
I was invited to visit the Kruipers later on in the week when Mom and I returned from our trip into the Park.
It was easy to find the bushmen (as they call themselves), since members of the family sell necklaces, mobiles, bows and arrows and other wares made from Camelthorn seed pods, ostrich eggshells, duiker horns and sinew at their rustic roadside stalls. They had a fire going and on seeing my Land Rover, one of Dawid's brothers, Hendrik presuming I was a tourist began to strip off the western jacket that was keeping him warm to show his traditional skins and golden nakedness beneath. I shouted out to him to keep it on and that I was looking for Jason and Dawid. Since it had been the monthly pension day everyone was a little tipsy and had large packages of groceries, so we all piled into the Landy and took the 4x4 road to their hut deep in their hard-won land.
On the way the family members regaled me with stories and songs. They are lovely warm people, joking and friendly.
Right: The 'Bushman taxi' - Dawid Kruiper and his wife Sannie are on the left.
KGALAGADI TRANSFRONTIER PARK (Previously the 'Kalahari Gemsbok National Park')
We spent two nights in the park and had many great sightings of the Kalahari wildlife. One highlight was the pride of lions and their four playful cubs which we came across on the first afternoon. The adults were lying around catching the warmth from the last rays of sun while the cubs chased each other, tumbled and pounced tirelessly. The lions were gold, the shadows blue. I am embarrassed to say that I missed this great photo opportunity because I didn't know how to operate the camera I had borrowed from my sister. I thought it was broken, but it had a macro lense on!
TRAVEL TIP: Know how to operate all the equipment you bring before you need to use it!
However, I did take this shot of a lioness' spoor at the picnic site showing where she had walked past the night before.
The Land Rover has an excellent height advantage over other vehicles for game viewing. It is very comfortable and seats 6, each with a window seat, and lots of space inside.
We saw African wild cats four times in three days - I have only seen one before. They are fairly rare, though obviously thriving in the park. We watched one of them stalking for quite a long time. Another beautiful sight was a caracal, or 'rooikat' ( red cat) which is the African lynx. As its name implies it is russet red with delicate black tufted ear hairs. It seemed surprised and disappointed that I had spotted it among the scraggly bushes, and slunk off.
We also watched hunting bat-eared foxes and were visited by a dainty Cape Fox at our bungalow in the evenings and a mongoose and ground squirrel during the day. The dry desert vegetation somehow supports the many herds of gemsbok, springbok and wildebeest that we saw widely spread throughout the Park.
Also an abundance of birdlife - among others we saw several martial eagles, pale chanting goshawks and a huge flock of several hundred double banded sand grouses that wheeled about in the air and then descended on a water source en masse before exploding off into the air again. Further on I spotted two spotted eagle owls roosting in a tree. A frequent sight is the cory bustard, a strange bird growing to the height of over 5 feet, and unlike the ostrich can fly.
Left: One Oryx (Gemsbok).
Below: Many against a stormy sky.
Mom and I then drove south through Namaqualand, the wildflower region.
Did you know that South Africa is the origin of hundreds of the freesias, lilies, irises, clivias and other bulbs now found all over the world?
Below: Papkuilsfontein is a gem of a farm with a nature reserve, lovely walks & restored old stone cottages. One gets spoilt by Mariette who delivers a 3-course home-made dinner picnic style!
Late August and September is spring and usually the peak time to see vast fields of bright Namaqualand daisies and thousands of bulbs. This year the Cape rains were very late, and so spring was late in arriving too. In fact winter wasn't over at all!
We woke up deep in the Cederberg mountains to find a couple of inches of snow covering everything!
This trip was a great success. We found wonderful venues with friendly and attentive hosts. The people are passionate about their neck of the woods, their stories and knowledge are fascinating and their enthusiasm and hospitality make it difficult to leave.
The Rhino and pink proteas in snow!
August 20th, Cederberg
MORE SERENDIPITY & NEW FRIENDS
On returning to Cape Town I met the talented artist Sarah Mackay, whom I had been told 'I must meet' by several people and who in turn introduced me to Dawid Kruiper's brother, Vetkat Kruiper and his wife Belinda who also live in the Kalahari, but 60kms further north. More of the book, 'the Healing Land' came alive for me as the Kalahari couple were in Cape Town for the gallery opening of Vetkat and Sarah's art at the Sophea Gallery and Tibetan Teahouse in Simon's Town. I met them over a long tea and they invited the participants of my 2004 Kalahari Safari and other guests to visit their home, 'Blinkwater'. Their words below express the essence of Vetkat and Belinda's environment.
"Blinkwater is a semi-arid desert landscape. Pristine land bordering on the now Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. A natural sanctuary where respect and silence forms the core of the home of Vetkat and Belinda (home is a place filled with love.) The couple live against a backdrop of a magnificent red sand dune, Kalahari sky and endless space. With them lives Jurie and Oom Hansie and four dogs.
"Experience a relaxing getaway. Camp out on a typical Kalahari farm which reflects the exact way of life which locals have led." (or stay at a guesthouse nearby) "This is a place of inspiration for folk who seek solitude and privacy. A stay here can restore vitality, bring humour, teach endurance and vulnerability to its visitors. Feast on a landscape so awesome in its desolation, filled with colours of red, green, greys, yellow and blues. Come enjoy quiet days and nights, storytelling, fires at night, acoustic guitar and warm hospitality.
"Vetkat Kruiper is of the Khomani San group (prefer to be called Bushmen), the youngest son of the late Regop. His late father (was) known as a respected healer, wise man and sheep herder amongst the community. Vetkat is an established artist. To this date he has exhibited three successful exhibitions, two at the Bergtheil Museum, Westville-Durban and the other at the Pretoria University. Vetkat's work is a must to see and surely collector's material"
MANDELA'S BIRTHDAY, 46664 CONCERT & LILIESLEAF FARM
Mandela celebrated his 85th birthday on July the 18th. All day the TV had birthday messages for this great man scrolling across the screen as thousands of South Africans sent text messages from their cellular phones, praising him, thanking him and wishing him well.
His book, 'Long Walk to Freedom' begins:
"Apart from life, a strong constitution and an abiding connection to the Thembu royal house, the only thing my father bestowed upon me at birth was a name, Rohihlahla. In Xhosa, Rohihlahla means 'pulling the branch of the tree', but its colloquial meaning more accurately would be 'troublemaker'. I do not believe that names are a destiny or that my father somehow (divined) my future, but in later years, friends and relatives would ascribe to my birth name the many storms I have caused and weathered."
'Long Walk to Freedom' is highly recommended reading and for those that find the 750 pages too long, an abridged version is now available.
Mandela has been causing more storms lately on several fronts, both with his criticisms of the Mugabe government in our neighbouring Zimbabwe and our own government and present president, Mr Thabo Mbeki's surprising stand on AIDS. They have been claiming that HIV+ and AIDS are not related. This has caused huge delays in the distribution of free anti-retrovirals, especially for pregnant HIV+ mothers. One in four people in SA are HIV+.
Many people are fighting for this cause and the Mandela Fund held a huge concert on November the 29th to raise funds and awareness. It was called the 46664 concert - after Mandela's own prison number on Robben Island.
In his address, Mandela drew the comparison that the apartheid governement had attempted to reduce him to a mere number just as those who are not helping the AIDS cause are effectively doing to AIDS victims. Some famous international musicians performed for the 4000 odd audience and the evening was spectacular and movingIt was wonderful seeing musicians such as Baba Maal, Yousef N'dour, Peter Gabriel, Yusuf Islam, U2, Queen and Annie Lennox down this end of the world. In addition we were entertained by some of my favourite locals: Johnny Clegg & Juluka, Ladysmith Black Mambaza and Yvonne Chaka Chaka, who sang her cheerful piece about Umqumbuti - African beer.
Pictures from www.46664.com
A few months earlier on 05/05 Mandela and South Africa lost one of his dearest friends, fellow political prisoner and another national hero, Walter Sisulu. Sisulu, born on the same year the ANC was founded, was 90 when he died.
When I was up in Johannesburg in August I visited the famous 'Liliesleaf' farm in Rivonia which happens to be only a few kilometres from my parents home. This is the last place that Nelson Mandela lived as a free man before he was caught, tried and imprisoned in 1963.
In his book, Mandela wrote:"My next address was more a sanctuary than a hideout: Liliesleaf Farm, located in Rivonia, a bucolic northern suburb of Johannesburg..."
These days Liliesleaf Farm is a luxury guest house with just three suites in the main house. Little is changed and the little thatched cottage where Mandela lived, hid and pretended to be a houseboy called David is just as it was when he left it. I was given a tour and shown the photo museum and a video of the times by the enthusiastic staff. The relaxed atmosphere in the garden and house as the staff go about their duties has a homeliness that I am sure is similar to that of days gone by. It is great having such a historic place so accessible.
KAROO EQUINOX TRIP
Friends & I celebrated the spring equinox out in the arid hinterland - an area called the 'Karoo' which we were told by our host & guide, the historian and linguist, Cyril Hromnik means 'dry place' in the Dravidian Indian dialect. We spent a fascinating weekend absorbing Cyril's vast knowledge and unusual theories on early peoples of southern Africa. We were shown several stone structures such as long stone walls, circles, elaborate seats and 'temples' that seem to serve no practical purpose other than to line up with other structures, natural features, the earth's cardinal points and the rising and setting positions of the sun at solstices and equinoxes.
We camped out in a river bed and were up before dawn on September the 22nd to see the sunrise in line with two monoliths on a hill side. Cyril's tale brings in the language of the 'Hottentots' - 'Ottentotu' as they apparently called themselves, Dravidian legends and the mysterious rock art that is scattered in caves and overhangs all over the Karoo and other parts of the sub-continent.
Hanging out' above Camps Bay, Cape Town (on the western side of 'TM' - Table Mountain)
OUTSIDE MAGAZINE GUESTS GREG CHILD AND JIMMY CHIN
On the edge of the Karoo, a couple of hours drive from Cape Town, beyond the valley of wine and red roses, is the hamlet of Montagu. Surrounded by incredible folded mountains, Montagu is one of South Africa's sport climbing meccas and there's something for everyone.
A big gathering of climbers held at the climber's camp site of choice, 'De Bos' (the bush), in November happened to coincide with a climbing trip that formed part of an Outside Magazine story that Greg Child is writing. Greg and his partner Renee, photographer Jimmy Chin, and some of South Africa's elite climbers such as Ed February and Andy de Klerk gathered for a weekend's climbing in Bad Kloof. The festivities that weekend included a bouldering competition, slide show and a drumming circle around a huge fire out in the vineyard. After drumming until midnight, some of us somehow managed to wake up at 3am to see the Luna eclipse (with a lot of cloud eclipse too). Of course everyone was up early for a long day's cranking ...
BICYCLE TOWNSHIP TOUR
The following week Greg, Renee and Jimmy joined my friend and tour colleague, Sally de Jager of Adventure Without Limits (www.withoutlimits.co.za), Noluthandu, a wonderful Masiphumelele guide and myself for a bicycle tour of Masiphumelele township. A township is a settlement often consisting of a mix of informal rustic shacks and new government houses with water and electricity. They are crowded and fitted in near to the people's places of work or in areas designated during the Apartheid era. Many of the residents are unemployed or work in the informal sector.
Masiphumelele township is relaxed, safe, unspoilt, friendly and poor! Remarkably, no-one asks for anything, not even a sweet! The tours are part of the Bicycle Empowerment Network (BEN) - a non-profit organisation that Sally is involved in. One gets to ride around the narrow streets often escorted by young children on their tiny bicycles, visiting a children's creche, a BEN guide's home for tea, stopping to talk to people, or look at, and photograph township peculiarities as explained by the guides. During the 'Outside' tour we were accepted for a consultation with the sangomas (healers/medicine people) who danced a dance that "makes the ancestors happy" to the powerful beat of a large drum. Mini-bus tours of other townships are common in Cape Town, but a cycle tour makes you feel much more integrated with the community.
CHIC SHACKS
Below are some pictures from one of my favourite coffee table books, 'Shack chic - Innovation in the Shack-Lands of South Africa'.
"A unique and heartwarming view of the pride behind the poverty and the imagination hidden behind the dust of South Africa's shack-lands." -Geographical
My sister, Andy won first prize at the annual MCSA (Mountain Club of South Africa) photography competition
for this pic of the south celestial pole star trails and the Sandfontein arch, Cederberg, Sourth Africa.
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