Dinner in Langa with Mama Sheila

We had first visited the township of Langa to take a tour of the community center and the surrounding town.  What I was initially overwhelmed with was the observation that everyone seemed to be incredibly upbeat and positive.  There were kids running around and playing and people seemed very willing to talk to us about their stories.

The next day we went into Langa again to go to Dinner at Mama Sheila's.  This inspiring woman owns a Lelapa restaurant in the township and over the years managed to keep expanding on her house and eventually buy her neighbors home until the restaurant is as we see it today.  Hearing this womans' story about how she ended up in the restaurant business was inspiring.  And I won't repeat the whole thing because my rendition couldn't do her justice.  But essentially she started out working as a maid in several peoples homes, until she ventured out and started selling clothes, and finally fell into the restaurant business as there became a demand for tourism in the township.  This to me is the most interesting trend that I've seen here is people's creativity and ability to create something out of nothing.  Even many people's homes that appear to be just little shacks on the outside are vibrant and quite homey on the inside.

Bo Kaap

Already a week has passed and we have learned a lot from our lectures and activities, but there are still plenty of things to discover yet.  

Last Thursday we had a full agenda under rainy weather, but our stop in Bo Kaap brightened our afternoon.  This beautiful area is known to be the hallmark of Cape Town, with its rainbow streets and warm people welcoming you.  

Bo Kaap is a multicultural area; it is the center of Cape Malay Culture.  Bo Kaap offers a very nice experience for those who want to discover flavor in every sense!

The Cape Malay identity can be considered as the product of mixed identities through history.  Nevertheless, the Cape Malay started to form when the Dutch brought Malay slaves to work at the sugar plantations in the Cape. 

We took advantage of our location and did a complete photo shooting; after all we couldn’t miss the colored houses from the seventeenth and nineteenth century, as well as the many Mosques, including the first one built in South Africa.

We also passed the burial place of Tuan Guru, who is known to be the person that established Islam in the Cape and southern part of Africa.  He copied the Holy Quran from memory and established the first Muslim school (madrasah) in the area.

We could not finish our visit without trying the famous “Bobotie”, which we have been hearing since we all met back in April…

We were welcome by Yusuf, the owner of Bo Kaap Kombuis.  Bo Kaap Kombuis means  “Upper Cape Town Kitchen” in Afrikaaans.  Bo Kaap Kombuis specialized in home made cooking.

This is a wonderful place, with an excellent view of Bo Kaap and the city center. We were very pleased by the hospitality, especially by Yusuf’s gastronomy lecture on the origins of the Cape Malay food.  Yusuf told us that the creativity and exotic flavor of the food are consequences of the exchange of ingredients, when Malays, Dutch and Xhosa coexisted centuries ago.

I am looking forward to go back to Bo Kaap, as I will be moving there after the program finishes.  I am pretty sure I will have a great time!

Totsiens! 

Table Mountain

As we begin our journey in Cape Town, there is one landmark that seems to follow us wherever we go: Table Mountain.  Whether we we are nestled in our comfortable bungalows, studying at the University of Cape Town, or walking the city streets, Table Mountain watches over us. 

On our first free day, all seven of us climbed the mountain to get a closer look at this new friend who watched over us.  We took the Platteklip Gorge Trail to the top.  It was strenuous, but well worth the effort.  There were stunning views the whole way to the top, and we met a number of friendly faces along the way.  I think our biggest challenge was remembering to stay left on the trail!

As we reached the top, we were greeted with a gorgeous view of Cape Town and it's surroundings.  We had views of the city center, Hout Bay, Camps Bay, Lions Head, Robben Island, and more.   We rested at the top, sharing snacks and travel stories, enjoying the good company and amazing view in front of us.  On one side of the mountain we found an animal called a "dassie."  It looks a lot like a hamster in appearance and size, but is most closely related to the African elephant! 

To get a different view of the mountain and give our legs a rest, we took the cable car down to the base of the mountain.  We were fortunate to have a clear and sunny day to visit Table Mountain.  Legend has it that a Dutch pirate by the name of "Van Hunks" used to sit a top a hill overlooking the mountain, contently smoking.  He was rumored to be the best smoker in the land, and when he came upon a stranger in black at his usual smoking spot, he challenged him to a smoking dual.  When the mysterious man lost, he revealed himself to be the devil, and vanished with Van Hunks into thin air.  Since that day, when the clouds ascend upon the mountain, the locals claim that Van Hunks and the devil are at it again!

Hamba kakuhle (go well in Xhosa)
Liz

My First African Journey

This is my first trip to the African continent, and what an experience it has been...

No words and no pictures are going to do justice compared to the actual experience of being here... but here is my attempt at giving you a sense of what our days look like.

Here is where we have our lectures everyday.

University of Cape Town (UTC)

In case you are wondering, this is the view as we walk down those steps everyday. The university overlooks the City of Cape Town, along with the statue of Cecil Rhodes.

View at UCT

But lecture is not all that we do all day. On Monday we went for a drive by the coast down to Hout Bay.

We stopped by different beaches to enjoy the view.

saw the World Cup stadium,

tasted some wine at Groot Constantia vineyards,

got on a boat to see Fur Seals,

Hout Bay

had Fish and Chips at Fish on the Rocks for lunch. And then came back home.


All in a day work! I can get use to this life.