PHOTO ALBUMS (SOUTH AFRICA & BOTSWANA)

To view the photo albums, please click on the respective photos or links below: -

 

The SOUTH AFRICA Album

 

The BOTSWANA Album

 

Have fun!

WEST OF THE CAPE TO GAUTENG ON A BAG OF BILTONG

It was spider season when I came.

 

Now it’s the beginning of autumn. It’s gray. It’s chilly. Unfortunately I’m not built for this weather. Coming from Malaysia (or South East Asia for that matter) where the seasons are defined as either hot, humid, wet, dry, blah, or a combination of any of these all year round, it’s still a new concept for me.

 

This morning I was at the Restorative Justice Centre in Pretoria where Rizwan is running a workshop and me doing the agonizing work of going through 1000+ photos we have between us, each one going through the process of scrutinizing, deleting, editing, reducing, hopefully uploading when the connection’s a lot better. I’m being brutal unless I want to end up with 1000+ photos by the end of this exercise.

 

It all went smoothly until the unfortunate discovery that our rental car got broken into. It didn’t even look like it until we realized that a friend’s GPS device we’re borrowing is missing.  Mild panic ensued, we went back to the office retracing our steps, just in case we dropped it but found nothing. We had to settle with the fact that it is indeed stolen. Here’s where the adventure began as we had quite an interesting time at the police station to report it. For a country that’s notorious for crimes it’s so quiet and chilled at the station. We’d expect to be stuck in a long queue but we were attended to very quickly , even the police woman was graceful enough to agree to a photo. The whole thing took about an hour and we were out of there. Without a GPS, we had to rely on instructions given to us verbally – all the way back to Johannesburg in the evening. We only found out later that the house keys are also missing – very, very bad news – lucky for us, the house number is not stated in the GPS. We’re hoping until now that the thieves won’t bother to look.

 

In South Africa traffic lights are called ROBOTS. Probably one of the coolest things I discovered here. “Drive to the robot.”

 

“And give him a high-five.”

 

And oh my, the food! If you managed to get away from the sandwiches and the pastas and the pizzas and the burgers, which is a norm menu here and get your hands on proper local food, you’ll be dreaming about it thereafter, I promise you. Very fortunately the first home-cooked South African dinner we had was at Sunelle’s in Stellenbosch. The bobotie, pap and malva pudding were just marvellous! We had it with cider – another big thing here. Savanna is what you ask for on a hot sunny day. We always have a bag of biltong with us in the car the first two weeks driving around. The variety to choose from at the Food Lover’s Market is mindboggling! I’m wondering why I don’t have it with me right now.

 

South Africans are proud of their braais, and rightfully so. Thick slabs of meat, boerewors and mielie (maize) will leave you wanting for more. We experienced a few different braais, all set against a different backdrop. First one was at the students’ block, the Academia in Stellenbosch. The second one was at the Thulani Game Lodge -it was humongous braai fest outside but disappointingly polite small portion on a large plate later. But the treatment was the best – a family runs the lodge and the mother even played the piano for us over dinner. The third and most unforgettable one was definitely at Zain’s, these people are serious about their meat!

 

 

Zain working on his kettle braai.

 

Braai feast!

 

 

Chilling out with Mark at their home. It’s a quiet place out of town with a huge compound and I’m hidden amidst the green.

 

But I think the one most worth mentioning is Thembi’s Kitchen in Hammanskraal. The concept is the same as mixed rice or economy rice back home. It’s rice or pap served with side dishes of your choice. Shredded cabbage, carrots, beetroot cubes, mashed pumpkin, beef, chicken, pork, mutton of different styles – simply marvellous!

 

At Thembi’s Kitchen

 

Now this is a meal!

 

It’s towards the end of my stay in Johannesburg. This Saturday I continue my journey to Gaborone, the capital of Botswana.

 

The children in Hammanskraal. They were playing indigenous games at the village, taught by one of the local boys. Villagers say hello to you from their front yards!

 

With a couple of the girls from the Siyakhula Learning Centre in Johannesburg.

SOUTH AFRICA THROUGH MY EYES

To be honest I don’t know what I think about South Africa. Even after 2 weeks.

I'm going to have to start with the things I see.

South Africa is about soaring mountains and crystal clear oceans. Vineyards and farmlands and mines stretch as far as the horizon. Driving around the countryside takes your breath away - you are in awe of the constant change of view around you. Game reserves are aplenty, you'll be given the rare opportunity to be in the company of elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, hippos, kudus, elands, wildebeests and warthogs in the wild. In the cities, the roads are pristine and estates are just filled with beautiful houses with manicured lawns and you sip your wine out near the swimming pool and stare at the shadow of lavender swaying with the wind. Cashiers never fail to give you a big smile and greet you when you line up for your groceries. Everybody's friendly, everybody's warm.

Everybody seems to be happy. Living the life.

But a lot of times, that life is neatly hidden behind electrical fences, barbed wires and thick metal grills. Drive a bit more and there'll be roads heavily potholed with signs that say 'Hijacking Hotspots - for the next 6 km’, nothing more so you just have to take your chances. Very cautiously, you continue driving and shanty towns slowly appear. You lock your doors because it's bloody dangerous. Hide everything. Never wind down the windows when you reach junctions - people come to try sell you trinkets, newspapers; others ask for food, money, or garbage. Never look people in the eyes. Never do anything. Sit put until the light goes green. Because that's what you're told to do.

There's just so much disparity around, so obvious that it's shameful to see. Poverty is prevalent within the black community. This amidst the vast richness of everything else. You will observe the many that are forced to walk for miles and miles to get anywhere because cheap public transport is scarce when 9 out of 10 private cars are only driven by the 10% population of whites - I counted. Whatever image the country's portrayed for, although still holds true to an extent, has deeply hurt it's own reputation and will continue so until things really change. Crime is real, but so is fear mongering – sadly, even among locals. Time will heal, time is needed to put South Africa's sad history behind her but from it too, to welcome and embrace her full potential, slowly, but surely emerging. Many are trying to make a difference for the better and that says a lot about the desire of her people.

All in all, I love the marvellous time I have in South Africa; the scenic tour around Cape Town, the quiet stay in the wine district of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, the lovely wedding in the little place called The Moon and Sixpence, the exciting game drives in Thulani and Pilanesburg, the busy weeks in Johannesburg, most of all, the great people I meet.

But at times, my heart sinks.
 

Security is big business in the cities.

 

Kids coming home from school at the Malay Quarter in Cape Town.

 

A view of Cape Town from Table Mountain.

 

At a vineyard Stellenbosch.

 

Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of South Africa. The moment we first saw the ocean, Rizwan and I just stopped by the side of the road and sat there in silence. It was one of the most beautiful experiences.

 

Wildebeests in Pilanesburg Game Reserve

Before signing off, here's a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Little Jen back in Miri. Best wishes and good luck for the exam!

WHERE THE ATLANTIC AND THE INDIAN OCEANS DIVIDE (OR MEET)

 

How can you travel a gazillion miles to Africa and not go to the southernmost tip of the continent?

It's Cape Agulhas by the way, not the Cape of Good Hope, thank you very much.

....the Cape of Good Hope relative to Cape Agulhas....

I'd totally beat the 5th graders if this is a World Geography question :) 

- all photos from Wikipedia

SOUTH AFRICA - RESEARCH PART I

Capital: Pretoria (Tshwane)
Population: 47 million, main groups Zulu and Xhosa
Language: Zulu, Xhosa, English, Afrikaans
Currency: South African Rand

The two destinations to explore in South Africa: -


1. Table Mountain, Cape Town
 It's quite apparent how Table Mountain got its name. It's a flat-topped mountain stunningly overlooking Cape Town. There are several trails for hikers, the other option is to hop on the cable car.


Mission: Photography - Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain; trekkers up Table Mountain

- image from wayfaring.info




2. Drakensberg a.k.a the Dragon Mountains (border of South Africa - Lesotho)
 Another nature walk is to Drakensberg, bordering Lesotho in the West. It's the highest mountain range in South Africa. Frankly, I'm not so sure if we're going to make it to that corner of South Africa but I'm adamant not to miss this if I do.


Mission: Photography - Ancient Bushmen rock paintings; most peculiar life form encountered in Drakensberg

- image from 100destinos.com