We had a short flight to Cape Town yesterday. I knew we could hop on a relatively cheap city bus from the airport to the city center, but I wasn't prepared for the extensive townships that sprawled seemingly without end from the edges of the highway. At one point, we were so close to the tin roofed shacks that residents's free roaming livestock, mainly goats and pigs, grazed on patches of grass mere inches from the highway and speeding traffic. In modern societies, extreme poverty is sometimes well hidden, but here in South Africa, it is unavoidable and even the most hardened to its existence can't deny it. So, like a stark contrast, day and night, rich and poor, black and white, Cape Town is a beautiful city surrounded by bleak township poverty. For those unfamiliar with South Africa's history, a long history of discrimination by European colonists created deep racial divides in the country, culminating with decades of Apartheid rule. Apartheid was a series of laws designed under the system of thought that the various races within in South Africa could not and would not live together. Eventually, through courageous homegrown activism and international pressure, Apartheid was eventually dismantled leading to a pendulum swing of politics towards a very progressive constitution and free society. That was twenty years ago. However, despite a change in laws, the marginalization of blacks still continues and no more is this so evident than in the squalor of the townships.
Once you are in the city, if not for the periodic African trinket shop, you might mistake it for a European city. It is flanked by the beautiful beaches of the Atlantic Ocean and the imposing Table Mountain, a rocky feature that would most assuredly be the first image that pops up if you google "Cape Town." We arrived somewhat later in the day so after getting settled, we went over to Long Street, an aptly named street lined with bars, backpacker hostels, shops and restaurants, and looked for a bite to eat. Soon we found ourselves in front of Mama Africa, a popular spot specializing in game meat. In addition to what I considered a safe chicken curry, I tried kudu, springbok, and crocodile. It was a fantastic way to start my eating habits right after reading and being inspired by Eat and Run, which largely advocates a vegan lifestyle. Maybe I will start tomorrow.
The next day had us using the same city sightseeing bus company in Johannesburg. It was understandably more popular here as it weaves through the city and along the stretches of coastline. We stopped several times for beach walks, waterfront parks, and something called the District 6 museum, which chronicled the forced removal and razing of a largely black part of town. The city is beautiful and throughout the day we met wonderfully kind and engaging people. However, the streets could have been lined with gold and it still wouldn't have made me forget about the people on the edge of town. Actually, come to think of it, there is some sort of gold museum where you could drink wine and they would sprinkle the drink with gold dust, or something of that nature. That made me think of the townships even more.
Tomorrow, we wake up early to catch a little bus with a guide that will take us down to the Cape of Good Hope. There, we will see the penguins that live there, and if we are lucky, the aggressive and sometimes amazingly bold baboons of the region. I have heard stories of purses, lunches, and articles of clothing stolen in plain sight.
I hope everyone in Oregon is finding ways to escape the heat. The heat wave is even on the news here!
James
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