First 2 weeks in Cape Town

We arrived in Cape Town on 10/01/2012.  All 4 of our bags arrived with us this time – hooray!  We are living in a small apartment in a complex with 23 other units, mostly filled with young singles.  We have a bedroom and bath, kitchen/dining/living room combination with a small balcony off this room. The units and the parking lot are within a gated compound enclosed by a high security wall topped with an electric fence.  There is also a small "plunge pool" in one corner of the complex.  We are in Rondebosch, one of the “southern suburbs” of Cape Town.  Rondebosch is home to the University of Cape Town, which is nestled against Table Mountain.  It is quite a beautiful sight!  We look out our bedroom window at the mountain. Directly across the street from us is Rondebosch Commons, a large (about 100 acres) open area used by walkers and runners. It is renown for having Cape Flats sand fynbos, a vegetation type that exists nowhere else in the world. Interestingly, it was the site of a recent protest by advocacy groups for poor people who lack housing and employment and want the city/government to do more about the lack of equity and opportunity. The police were quick to disperse the crowd by spraying water dyed blue on the protesters and arresting some of them.   That aside, this is really a lovely area.  Most homes in this neighborhood (and actually most of Cape Town) are surrounded by security walls and gates. Most first floor windows and doors are barred.  The homes all have security systems and signs that say "armed response." Home invasions have been a problem and you read about one or two every day in the newspaper.

One of many unique features of Cape Town is Table Mountain, which rises 1000 meters.  It is an imposing line of peaks, a high plateau and mountains that run all the way south to the Cape of Good Hope.  The city is laid out around the mountain and it is a good anchoring point when navigating your way through this city of 3 million people. During our first week, we lived through what locals called a “heat wave” – in the 90’s during the day, although cool in the evenings due to ocean breezes.  There is always a breeze mostly coming out of the south.  While the breeze is pleasant, it also blows in the cooler waters from the Antarctic.  That means that the surfers are in wet suits and few people are swimming in the ocean.  The two oceans – the Atlantic and the Indian are another remarkable feature of Cape Town.

We have spent most of these 2 weeks sightseeing – first, by the city’s metrorail system or by foot, and then by rental car. On our 3^rd metrorail trip, we encountered on first robbery attempt (although we had expected this might happen).  After Joan was pushed into a crowded car as the train was about to pull out (and Rob followed), someone unzipped the pocket of Rob’s shorts and took his wallet.  He realized what was happening and immediately yelled, “He stole my wallet.”  A skirmish ensued where about 5 other black and coloured riders wrestled down the thief, who dropped the wallet even as the thief’s accomplice was trying to pull him off the train. The robber lost his hat, backpack and jacket!  As unnerving as this was, we were amazed (and gratified) by how quickly so many people responded to help us out. That is the part that stands out in our memories.

In addition to that bit of distress, we experienced the predictable stress of getting used to driving on the left side of the road, exacerbated by having an old rental car – a VW Golf with a stick shift, no power steering or air conditioning.  We quickly upgraded to a car with AC, power steering and automatic.  Cape Town is a charming combination of old and new buildings.  The road systems are modern and the city is geared to tourists.  Outdoor markets and long malls with shops and kiosks all provide opportunities to buy anything, from high priced clothing to cheap wooden giraffes.  The harbor has been developed into a restaurant and shopping mall area.  Large cruise ships dock there – most recently the Queen Elizabeth.

On our 2^nd day, we opted for a cititour so that we could get a good overview of all that was in store for us.  One moving site is vacant land adjacent to the City Centre known as District Six.  This was a housing area occupied by mostly blacks that was torn down (except for the churches) during the apartheid era.  Very little has been built on this land since the end of apartheid (1994), and it is a stark reminder of that period. Another stop on the tour was the cable car that goes to the top of Table Mountain.  On many days, the mountain top is in encased by clouds while the rest of the city is in bright sunshine. We have returned to City Centre several times to visit the Victoria and Alfred waterfront, the Company Gardens (a beautiful park in the city’s centre – somewhat like NY’s Central Park – although smaller) and adjacent to Parliament, see some of the historic churches and buildings, visit craft markets and artists' shops, the South African National Art Gallery, and generally take in the ambience of the Capetonian lifestyle. Fish and seafood are abundant.  At a nice fish shop close to our apartment, we found hake (the local white fish), as well as tuna, marlin, and swordfish.  We have sampled several restaurants and all of the food has been outstanding! So we have been eating well!  

After we upgraded to a better rental car, we began investigating the Peninsula area south of Cape Town.  On the west Atlantic seaboard side, we visited Houk Bay, a large fishing village and vacation home area.  From there, we drove north into the city, stopping at a quiet beach with lots of surfers and then into Camps Bay, an upscale neighborhood with a large beach.  There was sun on shore, but a tight fog on the water – so not a good day for a boat trip.  There are probably 10-15 different beaches along the Atlantic seaboard side.  While we have yet to see whales, sharks, or penguins, there are certainly reports of them.  The paper recently noted a shark attack that killed a swimmer and there have been several reports of drownings at some of these beaches. On another day we drove to the east side of the peninsula, the Indian Ocean side.  There are some older communities there including a township area.  Townships are the communities built to house blacks during apartheid and remain today as primary housing.  This township, called Cape Flats, is several miles of absolutely flat terrain just east of the mountain range.  We drove further south to Kalk Bay, another charming fishing village.  The city's metrorail service reaches these areas after passing through the southern suburbs.  We plan to adventure all the way to the Cape of Good Hope one of these weekends when there is not fog blocking the spectacular view from Chapman’s Peak we have read about.  Most of the peninsula is a national park that includes Table Mountain and the range going south to the cape.  Thus there is no development in these areas and few roads to travel on.

As you may know, SA is famous for its vineyards and wines.  Within one of the southern suburbs, Constania, there are several vineyards and we visited a couple to sample the wine and take in the beautiful rural landscapes where grapes are growing in neat rows with mountains in the background.  The buildings on the wine estates are also beautiful and several have highly rated restaurants – we will be visiting one on Valentine’s Day!

Some impressions.  While blacks, coloureds and whites mix together in the venues we have seen, white Capetonians seem to be the wealthiest.  Most of the government leadership is black since the ANC (African National Congress) is currently in power.  Yet, Cape Town government is from an opposition party, the Democratic Alliance or DA and the Mayor is a white woman as are most of her department heads.  South Africa is 79% black, 9% white, 9% coloured, and 3% Indian/Asian.  Coloureds are persons who are descended from slaves brought into SA and most are mixed race.  The Western Cape area has a slightly different racial mix with 50% coloured, 30% black, 18% white and 1% Indian/Asian.  The primary language spoken in the home in the Western Cape area is Afrikanns, a Dutch based language spoken by whites, coloureds, and blacks. English is their second language and the language used in commerce and government. Only about 19% speak English in their homes.

Condom messages and condoms are everywhere.  Since SA has the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world and since it is only recently that the government gave up its efforts to deny that there was a relationship between HIV and AIDS, they are way behind in both treatment and prevention.  So condom use is promoted on billboards and ads and free condoms are everywhere including in every train station.  Yet HIV/AIDS remains such a serious problem.  For example, 11% of all babies are born to mothers who are HIV positive.

Cape Town has both an English as well as Afrikaans language morning and evening newspaper. There are lots of ads for jobs as the SA economy is booming (at least compared to other parts of the world).  The papers carry stories and headlines that titillate.  There are many articles denouncing the lack of equity, injustices, and criminal activities. The TV channels we get are from SABC, the government broadcasting network and primarily offer SA soaps, old movies and several season-old US shows.  Rob watched a long, long, cricket match and still is trying to understand the lingo.  Football (soccer) and rugby are the other big sports in the area. Internet is available, but it is all run through the mobile phone system, and so it is quite expensive.  It is much faster than we experienced in Ethiopia.  We read the New York Times online and Rob checks MinnPost regularly for what's happening in MN.  There is very little US news in the Cape Times, with much more coverage about Europe.

We have just met with our respective volunteer organizations and are very pleased with the people we will work with and the opportunities we will have.  We will be writing more about this soon.

Concluding Observations about Ethiopia

From Rob

One difficult part of life is the power failures that occur frequently.  Most of Ethiopia’s power is hydroelectric, but the breakdown occurs in the distribution system. We had numerous periods of no power – one lasting 10 hours. 

During our stay, the weather was dry and sunny. Their rainy season is generally from May to September. The altitude made many of our long walks more challenging, but good for the cardiovascular system.

From Joän

During our stay in Addis, Joän made several shopping forays to explore indigenous crafts – mainly weaving, basketry, silver/gold jewelry, pottery.  At the Sabahar silk farm started by a Canadian woman and employing about 80 Ethiopians, silk moths are cultivated and their silk is spun, dyed and woven into incredibly beautiful scarves, shawls, pillow covers, etc. Interestingly only men are allowed to do the weaving and only women do the spinning. At the Berhan Taye Leprosy Hospital, there is a small craft cooperative where embroidery and small clay articles are for sale.  Salem’s craft store is again, a cooperative for women who work on site. In the jewelry shops, it is the custom to have long dried grasses on the floor (although we never learned what this symbolizes – maybe the plentiful savannahs in Ethiopia).

During my “sick period,” I thought a lot about the health of Ethiopian people and their access to medical care.  I was fortunate to have ready access to good medical care (a Swedish doctor with lab technicians to diagnose a tropical disease). I got medicine immediately (even though the Clinic had run out of one of the drugs I needed to kill the amoebic cysts).  James and Shirley called around and were able to find this drug at a pharmacy.  I was well aware that most Ethiopians do not have access to this kind of care.  Indeed, amoebic dysentery is the most common infection among Ethiopians (in fact Chakiso also came down with it on our last day there). As I watched the very thin people everywhere, I kept thinking how prevalent and untreated this sort of infection must be.  It renders you very tired and yet everyone – young children to the elderly – seemed to be engaged in productive work.  I am also aware that child mortality is high (123 per 1,000 for children < 5 years) even though this represents a 40% decline over the last 15 years.  The major causes of under-5 mortality are neonatal complications, followed by pneumonia and diarrhea.  Reducing malnutrition, improving water and sanitation, and increasing the number of health workers in rural areas are the major reasons for the improvement.

It is also noteworthy that there are virtually no obese people in Ethiopia.  Nearly everyone is lean and in some cases, nearly skeletal.  Once we arrived in Cape Town, the contrast between body shape here and in Ethiopia was remarkable.  Cape Town is like developed  U.S. cities.  (More on Cape Town in subsequent posts.)

It is dirty and dusty everywhere in Ethiopia.  In James’ home, floors are swept and washed every day and furniture dusted.  Again, this is a luxury for only a few, including ex-pats. Traffic is beyond belief.  There appear to be no rules of the road, with cars swerving around each other in either direction at will.  Cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys crowd the roadway everywhere, including in Addis.  These animals clearly have the right of way and it is amazing that more of them are not hit by vehicles. Apparently, if a driver does kill an animal, the driver is liable to replace the animal.

It is clear that, in the parts of Ethiopia we visited, religiosity is very prevalent. What we observed was daily devotion by the Ethiopian Orthodox believers – we awoke to chanting every morning, saw the faithful at the churches during many times of the day, as well as women frequently dressed in white scarves and shawls as part of their religious observance.  It should be noted that we did not visit the southern regions where Islam is more prevalent.  On Ethiopian Christmas – January 7^th – only Muslim shops were open in Addis and the roads were nearly deserted as most people were at home celebrating their Christmas holiday. 

Our final celebration in Addis was Chakiso’s 4^th birthday.  And what a party he had! It was a pirate theme with a pirate cake that James baked and decorated, pirate hats made by Shirley and an incredible Captain Hook piñata that Shirley also made.  They rented a “bouncy castle” which filled a quarter of their backyard/garden.  The 15 kids and their parents had a wonderful time.  Rob and I kept wondering what they could do to “up-the-ante” for his 5^th birthday.  It seems that ex-pats invest a lot in creating special opportunities for their children and social gatherings for the adults.  There is a special quality to the lifestyle they share in a country that offers many challenges – which they seem to adapt to quite well.

Captain Hook pinata for Chakiso's birthday party

Ethiopian Dancers

Happy New Year from Ethiopia

On Saturday, December 30^th, we drove south into the Rift Valley and what passes as the Lake Country.  It was a 4 hour drive (200 km) and the last 10 km were over dirt/gravel and dusty roads.  We were headed to Sabana Beach Resort on a bluff overlooking Lake Langano. This is a favorite weekend getaway for ex-pats living in Addis.  With about 40 individual bungalows, lots of beach activities, and a “rocky” beach, it offers a relaxing time.  A grand all-inclusive New Year’s Eve party – appertifs, buffet dinner, puddings (aka desserts), a band and dancing were a grand way to usher in the New Year. Unfortunately, Joän was still a bit sick (couldn’t drink alcohol because of the meds for her amoebic dysentery) and Kiso’s usual evening schedule meant we headed for bed before the puddings were served and the band and dancing began.  

On New Year’s Day, we drove to Bishangari Lode, an ecological retreat on the south side of the Lake so that Chakiso could ride a horse (although the horses were too big for him).  This lodge is a bird-watchers paradise with over 400 species of birds and a diverse range of wildlife. On Monday, we headed back to Addis but stopped first at Abjiata-Shalla National Park, home to ostriches, flamingos, gazelles, greater kudu (antelope), and baboons.  There are several hot springs in the park.  

Woman washing clothes in Hot Springs near Lake Langano

Driving in this park is a challenge for anyone with a queasy stomach as the roads/paths are rocky and rough. 

Child chasing our car as we drove along bumpy road

 

 

 

 

Typical scene with boy on donkey bringing water home

The 2-lane highway home was crowded with large transport trucks making for slow going.  Trucks are the only means of transport in Ethiopia since the rail line from Djibouti to Addis is no longer operating.

After a day of rest in Addis, we went to visit the Red Terror Museum, which honors the more than half a million Ethiopians who were killed by the Derg (which means committee) after the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selaisse by the military.  The Derg moved toward a strong communist government with the full support of USSR and Cuba. The curator of the museum, who provided commentary as we toured the photos and artifacts, was himself imprisoned for over 5 years during the period of the Derg. The Derg was overthrown by the current government in Ethiopia in 1991. The inscription on the statues as you enter the museum remind visitors that “we shall never forget.”  This museum was built completely by private funding from Ethiopian people.

One of our last evenings in Ethiopia, we went to dinner and a cultural dancing show at an Ethiopian restaurant.  Dinner was beef tibs, which are small pieces of “tough” beef that are sautéd in a spicy sauce, served in a bowl over a charcoal burner and eaten with injera, the classic Ethiopian bread made of a grain called teff. This slightly fermented, spongy bread is used to pick up the tibs – no utensils needed. Following dinner, we were served coffee in the Ethiopian style where frankincense is burned at your table and the rich, freshly ground coffee is served from a traditional clay pot along with popcorn as a snack.*  The non-stop 8 pm – 12 am show included a 5-piece band  (stringed instruments, drum, a kind of flute), 4 singers, and a dance troupe of 3 men and 3 women.  The energetic dancers were the highlight, with continual change of costumes to reflect different tribes in Ethiopia and respective styles of dancing.  The highlight was the “shoulder dance” a folk dance from the Amhara region of Ethiopia.  The customers were mostly “ferenges” (white foreigners) like us and the dancers were skilled at involving these ferenges in doing the shoulder dance. (See video post of the dancers.)

*Coffee ceremonies are very common in Ethiopia and done many days a week in many Ethiopian homes.  It is a way of socializing and connecting with others you care about.  Wakanesh, the housekeeper and cook at James’ home, prepared a coffee ceremony for us in the backyard where she first roasted the fresh coffee beans, then ground them and prepared the coffee over a charcoal fire.  She burned incense and offered popcorn as a snack.  We made the unwitting mistake of only drinking 1 cup of coffee when it is expected that you should drink 3 cups – the last cup being the luckiest. Three is one of the many ways there are references to the Trinity in Christian Ethiopia.

Wakanesh preparing coffee ceremony for us

Weeks 2 and 3 in Ethiopia

NOTE:  WE WERE LOCKED OUT OF OUR BLOG DURING THE REMAINDER OF OUR STAY IN ETHIOPIA.  WE ARE NOW IN CAPE TOWN AND HAVE ACCESS TO OUR BLOG AND OUR ABILITY TO POST ON IT.

 

Getting ready for Christmas, enjoying the holiday, and visiting sites in Addis took up our time.  Joan was the official cookie baker and she spent many days baking and decorating cookies – with Chakiso’s help, of course!  Paper is hard to come by in Ethiopia and hence there is no gift wrapping paper.  So we had to be inventive, using magazine covers, newspaper, and colored plastic bags. Christmas was so exciting with a 4 year old! James and Shirley invited about 30 of their friends and their kids to a Christmas dinner and party.  James grilled 2 small turkeys that came frozen from France (at $75 each).  Ex-pats can get what they want in many cases, if they are willing to pay for it.  We both enjoyed the ex-pats at the party – quite a diverse group.  They originated from countries such as India, UK, Belgium, France, US, and other parts of Africa. All were working for NGOS, such as Save the Children, a birth control distributor, and one woman and her family were leaving for the Gates Foundation in Seattle. One common theme is that they move around a lot and often know each other from former jobs in other countries. Shirley had a lot of things for the kids to do – crafts, streamers to throw into the trees, and a snowman piñata that she made. For Rob, the highlight was the rocket fireworks, especially the first one that took off over the house across the road and exploded over the Iranian Residence next door. 

James and Shirley had hired a driver for 2 weeks and that made it easy for us to begin to explore Addis.  On Tuesday, we went through thick traffic to Entoto Mountain (on the edge of Addis).  There we saw the Maryan Church and the somewhat simple palace of one of the 19^th century emperors.  Observing people engaged in their normal lifestyle is especially fascinating.  For example, we observed women wood carriers who go into the forest on the mountain and gather wood and put it in large bundles and carry it on their backs down the mountain to the city to sell for cooking fires. We visited a compound set up by a local NGO to create an alternative income-generating project for the women that involved making and selling small crafts.  There was also a day care and school for their children.

The next stop was the National Museum with its rich collection of artifacts dating back 4 million years. Here we saw a replica of Lucy, one of the earliest bipeds discovered in Ethiopia. The final stop that day was the Holy Trinity Church (Ethiopian Orthodox) with its frescoes done by Ethiopian painters. On the grounds are elaborate tombs, many of which are government ministers killed when the Derg overthrew the monarchy in the early 1970s. As we returned home, we passed the US Embassy with signs that ban taking any photos of the building and grounds. 

The following day, we went to Addis Ababa University to visit the Ethnological Museum. It is housed in the former palace of Emperor Haile Selassie and contains a large gallery of old and new art, a large library, and an incredibly well done history of Ethiopia based on traditions of the many tribes in the country as well as the many forms of livelihood of Ethiopian people, historically to the present. It is set up in 3 areas – childhood, adulthood and death.  You can also see the Emperor’s bedroom and bath.  One guide book claims this is the best museum in all of Africa! We really loved it too.

Driving through Addis, you are continuously struck by the juxtaposition of old and new buildings, including high rise office building. There are areas of very poor housing and some newer housing construction set behind razor-wired fences. The streets are lined with small shops. There are many, many billboards and walls pasted with handbills. The hundreds of blue & white 9 passenger Toyota minivans provide most of the public transportation,  5-15 cents per ride.

On Thursday, we went to St. George’s Church. He is the patron saint of Ethiopia. The small museum had well displayed robes, crosses, chalices and art depicting St. George slaying the dragon. Next stop was the silver and gold jewelry stores near the Piazza. Unfortunately, we both ended the day with gastrointestinal problems.  Joan’s got worse and she ended up at the Swedish Clinic the next day where she was diagnosed with ameobic dysentery and given powerful drugs to rid her system of these nasty parasites. She is nearly recovered now, but I don’t recommend that anyone seek out this experience.