Baboons!?

I see many roadside signs warning about wildlife but rarely see the wildlife in question. So when we drove to Simon's Town we started to see these signs warning us about baboons.



Wouldn't it be cool to see a baboon? After many more of these signs we started to think that there may be something to this. We rounded a bend and saw some baboons on the ground. They looked cute and we stopped the bukkie to take a picture. Ambereen said "Look at that" and right next to me (of course I had the window down) was a rather large male (that part was obvious) sitting on the hood. It startled me somewhat as he was too close for comfort, especially never having seen them in the wild. So my photography isn't the best.



These were the only baboons that we saw all day. Unfortunately people refuse to follow directions and end up feeding them which leads to the baboons becoming aggressive. They will enter cars, homes and businesses to look for food. So much so that people have to close their doors to keep them out.

Chacma Baboons are seen with regularity on the Cape Point Route. They are fun to watch, with human qualities and make fabulous subjects for photographers. The species is unique as they feed on shellfish! They have earned controversial status in the area due to ongoing conflict situations between man and baboon. This has resulted from the decrease in space of their natural habitat and the baboons are forced to forage in “human territory” to survive. Due to high mortality rates and threatened extinction, the Chacma Baboon troops in the Cape Peninsula are the only protected population of this species in Africa.

Some interesting observations

The currency here is the Rand, and it's now at a 4 year low which benefits me. The citizens of this country, not so much. It has dropped 10% since I arrived. $1 US now = R10.

Apartheid ended only 20 years ago. There is a lot of ground to cover. Unemployment is sky high. Crime is high.

This city is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

South African people are very friendly and, for the most part, soft spoken.

Cape Town is a cosmopolitan city. I can't wait to check out the local music scene!

When you go into town, especially in the evening, you will encounter many people whose sole job is to help you park and watch over your vehicle. All for a little change. It gets interesting when they mysteriously appear when you get back to your vehicle and try to help you pull out of your parking spot.

I don't think that I have ventured out once without being hit up for money.

There are more outdoor activities than I've encountered in Colorado, and that's saying something. Hiking, backpacking, biking, running, snorkeling, scuba diving, boating, wind surfing, paragliding and 4x4 are just some of the activities.

As it turns out, there is a ski resort here! Tiffindell is in South Africa. Not much to it but hey, it's a lift!

Driving on the "wrong" side of the road is a challenge. There are bad drivers in every country and there are no shortages here. Speed limit may be 60 kph and if I go 80 someone passes me going 120. Every time. I have YET to see ANYONE pulled over for any driving violation. And I'm driving a Ford pickup (AKA a Bakkie, pronounced buckie.) which was built for someone who is much smaller than I am.

There are some awesome beaches but the water is COLD! Several nude beaches nearby but it's winter so I don't know.

Great food and for the most part inexpensive. We're having breakfast at a white table cloth restaurant on the beach at Camp's Bay for R30 ($3). I'm talking steak and eggs here.

The flight here sucks - but it's worth the trip!

Home security is crazy. Whoever sells razor wire here is making money. And electric fences. I'll post some home security pics later.

Winter weather is crazy! Sunny to rainy to sunny to rainy, etc.

Fewer TV commercials! I'd say half of what we have in the US.

Robben Island ferries out of action

Well, the pirate ship mystery has been solved. Remember when I took the tour on Robben Island earlier this week and the pirate ship had all kinds of problems? It turns out the ferries that they typically use are being serviced in the dry dock. I saw one on Thursday and it started making sense.

NATIONAL NEWS - The Robben Island Museum is using local boat suppliers to ferry visitors because two of their vessels have been out of service for a few months, the Cape Times reported on Thursday. The newspaper reported that the Sikhululekile, which could transport between 800 and 1200 visitors daily, had not operated for the past six weeks. The Dias had been out of the water since January. The only operational vessel was the old Susan Kruger, a very slow vessel. "Sikhululekile was taken on the syncrolift to fit some seals which had been ordered from overseas. It is due back in the water within the next week," museum spokesman Shoni Khangala was quoted as saying. "Dias is awaiting a shaft replacement, and thereafter a top survey will be done... Dias could be back in operation by the second week of July." The museum was reportedly paying local boat suppliers between R7980 and R22,000 per trip, which was paid from ticket sales.

Red bus Blue bus

I am a tourist after all, so why not take advantage of the things that tourists do? I've noticed double-decker buses rolling around town and there is a tour company that runs them. You can buy a ticket for 1 or 2 days and they will take you on two different routes. It's a hop on, hop off system so one can check out a number of sites around the city. Wednesday I took the Red Bus and Thursday the Blue. I began both tours at the V&A Waterfront (easy to get there via the MyCiTi bus)and spent all day touring around. It was R250 for a 2 day ticket (around $25 US). That price included a 30 minute canal boat ride and a wine tour which was a bus ride to two wineries. There were several stops that I had no interest in, either because I had already been there or I could go on my own. Or one that I had no interest in like the convention center. The view from the top of the bus was great and I was able to see things that one normally couldn't from a car. I exited at the District 6 Museum site to learn more about the history of that area.

District Six is the name of a former inner-city residential area in Cape Town, South Africa. It is best known for the forced removal of over 60,000 of its inhabitants during the 1970s by the apartheid regime.

A huge swath of land is still undeveloped although that should change soon as the land is too close to the city to remain vacant. It's a sad commentary to the apartheid years, which ended just a short time ago (20 years). The next stop was the Castle of Good Hope but since it was only two blocks away I just walked there. I thought it would be a quick stop but I ended up spending nearly 2 hours there. There was a museum on site with a reproduction of the living quarters where the Commander resided. There were many beautiful paintings along with furniture from the 18th century and everything was in fantastic condition. I had a small lunch in the courtyard courtesy of the restaurant on site. A pastrami and cheese sandwich for R20 (about $2) took the edge off. I skipped the Gold Museum and Jewel Africa for another day as they are downtown and I can get there on my own. The next stop was the Cableway - the tram that takes you to the top of Table Mountain. We had a brief stop so I was able to buy some post cards and get back on the bus as Ambereen and I will take the Cableway this weekend. We'll throw a hike into the mix as well. I can't wait to have my picture taken at the top of Lions Head. Ambereen showed me one that she had taken and it is spectacular. The next stop was the Winchester Mansion Hotel at Sea Point. We hear they have the best Sunday Jazz Brunch in town so we plan on going soon. This weekend may be the time. I went in to inquire about the brunch and sat on the patio to enjoy the view and have a glass of wine. 500ml of red wine for R35. Sold! As I was enjoying the view and my wine a gentleman walked up on the sidewalk and began singing opera. What a voice! He sang two songs including O' Sole Mio. I gave him some change and clapped. When I got back to the Waterfront I realized that I had time to take the Canal Tour so I walked over to the launch and waited. What a cool lace to stay that would be! The boat also served as a taxi between the Waterfront and the Convention Center. It was peaceful and relaxing and I always love spending time on a boat of any kind. That was it for the Red Bus. The next day I took the Blue Bus. My first stop was the Constancia Nek Wine Tour. I decided to check out Groot Costancia, the oldest winery in the region dating back to the late 1600's. For R35 I took a tour and had a tasting. You can walk throughout the operation and enjoy the views of the snow capped peaks in the distance, a reminder of last weekend's winter storm. The next two stops on this tour were the World of Birds / Monkey Jungle and a Township Tour. I figured that Ambereen would enjoy the World of Birds / Monkey Jungle so that could be another day. The Township Tour is a little more troubling. Many of the much less fortunate find work wherever they can and they end up living in tiny shacks built from scraps. This township is located on a pretty steep hill and when storms hit, like they did last weekend, the rain causes serious problems for the residents. Maybe another day. My next stop was Hout Bay. Ambereen brought me here the first weekend and it was nice to get back and explore some more. It's a working dock with numerous fishing ships, restaurants and shops. I had fish and chips at the Mariner's Wharf then walked around for a while. Time to catch the bus though. You have to pay close attention to the time as it sometimes arrives and departs a few minutes early. I missed a few rides because of this. Green Point would be my final stop of the day. There is a small lighthouse on the shore and a nice peninsula park where I found a bench and sat down to enjoy a nice sunset.

Robben Island

Robben Island has been a notorious place since they used it to house prisoners in the 1600's. It is most famous for housing Nelson Mandela for 18 years. I called this morning to book a tour and was told they were full but to stop by. I took the train into town and when I got to the ticket window what do you know - they sold me a ticket for the 1:00 departure. We boarded a wooden replica pirate ship just as it started to rain. Pour actually. Everyone ran onto the boat and sought shelter from the storm. After 10 minutes I noticed that the rain had stopped so I took the stairs up to the rear deck (I'm sure there's a nautical term for it but work with me) and caught a great view. I would have taken pictures but the seas were quite rough and the ship was listing to the point where I had to bend my knees and hold on to ropes with both hands. A shelf broke free down below and injured several people and many others were getting sick. I thought it was a cool ride but perspective is everything. We arrived at the island and boarded a bus which took us around. We were herded like sheep though so we couldn't venture out as many people still live on the island and I'm sure they want some peace, unlike those souls who live on South Bass Island (Put-in-Bay in Ohio). We were dropped off at the main prison and our guide had been a prisoner there for several years beginning in 1981. Not all that long ago. All of the guides for this tour are former inmates. It left quite an impression to say the least.

Between the rain

We had a few breaks in the weather over the weekend and on Monday. It's Tuesday and finally starting to clear up a bit. I think it's time to head downtown and see what's going on! Here are some pics that were taken over the weekend.

The winter storms have begun

June 3 2013 at 07:54am By Alison Decker, Yolisa Tswanya and Natasha Bezuidenhout ________________________________________ Cape Town - Three people dead, 30 accidents, thousands left homeless, roofs blown off – this was the aftermath of a cold front that hit Cape Town on Saturday, bringing heavy rain, wind, hail and snow. On Sunday, the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre said 547 shacks were damaged and 2,266 people were displaced by storms and flooding in Bishop Lavis, Hout Bay, and parts of Gugulethu, Strand and Khayelitsha. The roofs of homes in Kewtown, Elsies River, Langa, Matroosfontein, Parow and Parow Valley were blown off by gusting winds. At the Montana apartment block in Wynne Street in Parow, the roofs of at least six flats were blown off. A woman was injured and taken to hospital. Residents said a “tornado-like” wind had ripped the roofs off the building. Resident Ferancia Jacobs said she was standing at her window and watching the hail when she suddenly felt a vibration and then saw the roof of one of the apartment blocks being lifted up. “You only see these kind of things on television,” Jacobs said. Western Cape traffic head Kenny Africa said that since Friday, 30 accidents were reported in the province. A total of 17 car crashes were reported on Sunday, claiming the lives of two people in separate incidents. Meanwhile, mayor Patricia de Lille has called for “extraordinary emergency arrangements”. Disaster response teams were deployed to conduct assessments determining the extent of the damage caused by flooding. The city also issued a release warning the Western and Northern Capes of “glacial conditions” and requesting that farmers take the necessary precautions to protect livestock and crops. Snow fell on the western highground of the Western Cape, and the southern highground of the Northern Cape over Saturday night, extending throughout the day on Sunday. Small stock farmers were urged by the city to give heed to the special weather advisories, as sudden cold conditions could adversely affect livestock through stress. The city recommended that farmers listen to weather advisories and do their best to keep shelters dry. The South African Weather Service said the after-effects of the storms would be evident in the sea conditions, which would be very rough up until Tuesday morning. Wave heights are likely to rise between 6 and 9 metres between Alexander Bay and Cape Agulhas today. In Khayelitsha, residents created makeshift bridges from tyres and wooden planks to negotiate the floodwater. Michael Swartbooi, who lives in Mandla Crescent, said that each year the road leading to his home is flooded. “Cars can’t drive through here when it’s flooded and the drains don’t work. “I have been living here for 15 years and as soon as the heavy rains arrive my house is flooded.” In RR section residents walk around in gumboots and use plastic bags to shield their bodies from the rain. Another resident, Patrick Zembe, said he did not vote to live in such conditions. “It floods every year and we have to live like this. Politicians say they will make a plan, but they don’t.” Babalwa Wambi uses buckets to remove water from her flooded home. “We have to remove water with buckets every winter and we will have to do it throughout the night.” Joyce Sigodi and her family of more than 10 people didn’t know where they would be sleeping last night. Rain has damaged food, clothing and furniture in their two-bedroom dwelling. “We have nowhere else to sleep. We can’t do anything. Our food was also destroyed so we can’t cook. “The children’s school clothes were also wet. “We can’t actually sleep here tonight, but we have nowhere else to go.” Residents wade through knee-deep water to reach their homes, while others had vacated their properties because roofs were leaking and water seeped underneath doors. Subelwa Londa said it was only the third day of winter rains yet it was already flooding. “Winter will be difficult for us. Children can’t play outside or stay indoors.”