Jill's Travelblogues now at ReviewFromThe House.com

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This is the termination of your journey- please ensure that you take all you have learned with you – summing up

As I planned this trip I really did not know what to expect in terms of my emotional reactions. The thought of returning alone to Cape Town, ten years after my last visit there with Bob, engendered a real concern that I would find the experience very painful. And perhaps because of that, uncharacteristically I did not do my usual meticulous preparations, bring my family research files, make lists of people to see, and things to do.

And yet this turned out to be a wonderfully satisfying journey, a re-connection with my “roots” and a time of quiet pleasure in being with Barry, Brin, Carole and Sherida. The other dimension that added a special enjoyment was finding a dance teacher whose teaching style was just perfect for me at this stage of my development and who juggled his timetable so that I could get a lesson every week day during the three weeks I was in Cape Town. Thanks, Edwin, for reminding me that for me dance should be foremost for enjoyment, and striving for perfection can be self-defeating in the long run. So I had a blast, kept my endorphins going with daily exercise, and survived the wine, chips and ice-cream without gaining too much weight.

South Africa- what a strange mixed up country. Things to love and admire: the accomplishment of officially abolishing apartheid with out the violence and revolution that was predicted and feared. The evidence of a rising affluent middle class among the populations that had minimal opportunity before. But… the problems of violence, incompetence, corruption, the energy crisis, the vast squatter camps, the inability to deal with the refugee problems. Wow- so immense!. Such a huge segment of the population living in awful conditions. Some things have not changed at all.

Still, when I left on this trip I really thought that this would be my last visit to Cape Town, the place of my birth and my growing up. It’s a long flight from Vancouver to Africa. Now I am not so sure. I think I will be back – for dance lessons at the very least!

The Way Home - Disaster and Recovery - Thursday 7th, Friday 8th, 08

A pattern of travel seems to be developing for me. Fortunately most of my journeys away from home are uneventful, but something generally complicates the trip home. The problem on my trip to France was the nasty ankle, knee and shoulder sprains I sustained the day before I was due to travel home. There as I wrote in my blog, miraculously total strangers materialized seemingly out of nowhere to hoist my suitcase onto trains, and up stairs for me.

This return journey had another potential crisis that turned into an unexpected bonus. But first…

Thursday morning in Cape Town was HOT. I spent the morning trying to figure out how despite my best intentions, my suitcase was more full and heavier than when I arrived. And me- the non-shopper type. Actually the major increase in weight was from the couple of pairs of dance shoes that I acquired. Ok it was more than a couple. Three. But they are so comfortable and relatively so cheap. I also caught up with my travelblogue, having fallen quite behind. Weren’t the penguin pictures cool?

The plane was absolutely packed. The configuration of the Club World was a single row, nose to tail along each side of the plane – as when I came out and had a window seat. But I hadn’t looked closely at the centre configuration which is actually a set of 4 seats, the two aisle seats facing forward and the two centre facing the rear. If you are traveling as a couple, and you actually like each other, the two centre seats would be rather a nice place to sit. Like a little cozy love-nest, very private – you could get up to all sorts of fun things, largely unobserved. Unfortunately if you are sharing it with a total stranger, it affords somewhat less privacy than in the old business class seats. So when I checked in on line and saw that I had one of the centre seats I was not too happy. The on line seating plan showed that every seat in Club World was assigned. So I thought maybe by getting there a bit earlier, I could put a plea in for another seat if one came available.

With dire warnings about the afternoon traffic, we agreed to leave quite early for the airport. The traffic was horrendous and at times I thought it might be quicker to walk to the airport, but Carole continued on valiantly and we got there in plenty of time. Needless to say the seat could not be changed. But any way I checked in my one bag, said a teary goodbye to Barry and Carole, and made my way through security to the BA Lounge at Cape Town. They do a good job at these airport lounges of pacifying the traveler. Lots of great food, wine and liquor was available. I had some fruit but resisted the temptation to imbibe.

An interesting phenomenon I noticed about the lounge in Cape Town was the preponderance of the young (30 to 40ish) males, in business suits. From the fragments of conversation most seemed to be in the investment banking business. I wondered if there was a conference but I just think there is a huge traffic between Cape Town and various big money centres. Somehow the Air Canada lounges and the business lounges I have visited in the States seem to have older people, 50s, 60s, and middle aged women traveling business class.

Anyway, the plane left more or less on time around 9 pm or 7 pm London time. We had dinner and then lights out- it’s a bit like boarding school. Around me everyone seemed to pass out like a series of load shed lights. I watched Michael Clayton- good movie- I finally see why women fall for George Clooney. Stretched out on my airline “bed” and sort of dozed. Really never slept. The lights came on and the crew began to serve breakfast – and disaster struck.

Ever since I spilt orange juice on a white shirt on a plane trip about thirty years ago, I have always been meticulously careful and never even get crumbs on my clothes. But somehow between the flight attendant handing me a very liquid, very pink, very creamy fruit smoothie- and my taking it, the entire glass spilled over my pants. With a 6 hour stop-over in Heathrow before connecting to the Air Canada flight, I had packed a change of underwear, socks and T-shirt in my hand-luggage, planning to shower in the BA Arrival Lounge facility but I had not packed a change of jeans. FA lady and I stared at each other in dismay as I mumbled “how am I going to get on another 10 hour flight smelling of fruit smoothie?”

My attempts to mop then wash out the smoothie in the basin just ended up with soaking wet jeans. Then salvation. BA still has First Class section and apparently they hand out a very comfortable black track suit- like outfit for the elite to sleep in. The purser presented me with one of these and thankfully I changed out of the wet jeans. Although a trifle long, the pants were quit comfortable. So all’s well …

The BA Arrival Lounge is great. After a shower and a change of clothes I felt almost ready to travel again. They offer a great cooked breakfast too. Maybe I should start accumulating BA points instead of Aeroplan. It’s that One World versus Star Alliance thing.

The Air Canada flight from London was also jam packed. Fortunately I had a window seat again for my little executive class oasis. The BA travel pants were really comfortable! The flight left London around noon on Friday and we were traveling into daylight for most of the ten hours. I did not sleep at all – watched 3:10 to Yuma which I actually enjoyed despite not being particularly a western fan. The concepts of pride, sacrifice for honour – are universal issues so the story line kept me watching through all the gun fights,

Arrived in Vancouver around 2:30 – breezed through immigration with my Nexus pass and was home by around three thirty. A quick walk to Urban Fare to stock my empty fridge, then to the Concierge to collect an alarmingly heavy stack of mail, and I was back in the apartment, determined to stay awake till at least 8 pm to fight jet lag.

Days blur into one –Monday to Wednesday, February 4th – 6th, 08

On Monday morning I took a Rikki down to the Waterfront from 10-12 to pick up some gifts and then off to dance class at Camps Bay from 3-5. The weather has been almost unbearably hot. Reading about commuter chaos in Vancouver because of snow seems quite surreal. I think I prefer cold to heat because it is so much easier to warm up than to cool down.

Carole called to tell me that Nathan and Edina’s baby, Maya, was born and all was well.

Later that evening I had dinner with Brin and Sherida, Olive, and Sandra, Sherida’s sister in their flat upstairs. Sherida cooked tuna, and we had salad with it, followed by Sinful ice cream for dessert. Sandra gave me a copy of a stunning coffee table book on the Wild Horses of Namibia. She wrote the text to accompany the most amazing pictures.

On Tuesday I had my last Rikki rides to and from dance class 9 – 11 at the Scout Hall. Back to the flat for a quick shower and change before Socky, my aunt, fetched me for lunch at the Mount Nelson with her and her sister, Annette. Annette and I were at school together at Good Hope. She is a librarian at the Hiddingh Hall branch of UCT library – that services the performing arts and film programs.

After lunch Socky dropped me at Cape Town Medi-Clinic where I saw Edina and the baby.

Had a quiet supper with Barry and Carole and then took a walk with Brin and Sherida to buy some blank CDs to record some of the dance music I particularly liked- the Latin music especially.

The sunset was magnificent- just a tinge of red along the horizon, the sea so blue it was almost black – the sounds of surf crashing against the rocks and the sharp tang of sea salt in the air. Even living on the False Creek water front, I don’t get that wonderful sea scent that evokes those endless summer days on the beach that were such a major part of growing up in Cape Town.

Wednesday morning I took a leisurely walk with Brin to buy gift certificates at Exclusive Books. That completed my gifts.

Taryn, Barry and Carole’s daughter, arrived back from Ireland. It was great to have a day of overlap- I had not seen her for ten years.

My last dance classes were scheduled for 2:15 -4:15at Camps Bay and Brin came along to record some videos using my digital camera. Edwin said we were going to do 10 dances. I could count nine that we had worked on including salsa. He just smiled and said “wait and see”. It was hot – really hot -over 34 degrees. But it was absolutely exhilarating going through one dance after another with a partner who led so effortlessly. Actually it was probably not effortless but pretty hard work on his part. The great thing about the videos is that it will remind me of what I have learned. The not great thing is that of course I don’t look anything like the professionals dancing in the Blackpool video! Oh well- if one was perfect at the beginning where would you go from there?

For my last night of this Cape Town visit, Brin and Sherida joined us for supper. With Taryn, and Nathan who dropped in for a visit, the table was crowded and conversation great. It is such a pity that Cape Town and Vancouver are so distant. And the rand-dollar exchange makes travel from SA so exorbitant.

Past and Present - Sunday, February 3rd, 08

As I have may have mentioned, I have been doing genealogy research and documentation for many years and one record type is gravestones. My brother asked me to photograph the stone of our father who had died 24 years ago, a decade after I had moved to Vancouver. So Barry, Carole and I stopped at the Pinelands Cemetery on our way to Muizenberg and I searched for the grave. We had been given the wrong location – it turned out the plot they gave us was the grave of one of his brothers – so we ended up spending a long time there.

Then we drove through to Muizenberg where Carole went to see her mom and Barry took me to a small beach front café where he wanted to show me a huge painting of Muizenberg that hung on one of the large interior walls. To his surprise it was no longer there. When he asked the new owner about it she said that she had had complaints and comments from customers and had felt obliged to remove it. It pictured Muizenberg beach as it was in in the apartheid years. And amid the brightly coloured bathing boxes and beach umbrellas all the people pictured on the beach- were white! In post-apartheid SA although it depicted history- the place as it actually was- this was politically incorrect. And realistically, the owner could not upset her customers. So good bye painting.

We then drove through to a restaurant , La Cuccina in Hout Bay, where we met Dirk Archer, partner of Joe, another old friend that I have known for as long as I knew Bob. I met Joe that night at Rosecourt when I was fifteen and met Bob. He and Bob had come to Rosecourt to the dance. I remember with absolute clarity these two tall gorgeous guys standing together. Joe was blonde and wearing a yellow sweater. Bob had black hair, brown eyes, was wearing a blue sweater and danced like a dream. Forty-eight years ago – my kids are now more than twice the age I was when I met him.

After lunch we visited the house where Dirk lives in Hout Bay. The house is gorgeous but there was a real reality check when we drove up and saw the squatter camp encroaching on the back wall of the house and the barbed wire and electrified fence surrounding the property.

That evening Barry and I drove back to Maynardville fro an outdoor production of Giselle. We were hoping that that Eskom would not have another power meltdown and it did not. However about three minutes before the end of the first act, the music died and they danced the final dramatic moments without music. The woman who danced Giselle was outstanding and I really enjoyed the performance. I don’t see enough ballet in Vancouver – somehow there is not the time what with opera, and theatre – although I did see the ballet version of Streetcar last year. Will make more of an effort this year because I love to watch most forms of dance.

Old friends, new friends - Saturday, February 2nd, 08

This morning I had brunch at the Waterfront with an old friend, Majiec, and his wife, Sandra. I met Maciej about 40 years ago when he and Bob joined IBM. Shortly after we were married, I was still in med school and
Bob was working as a chemical engineer when IBM SA advertised for new recruits. Bob ended up joining IBM in sales and Maciej became a systems engineer. When we moved to Canada Bob kept in touch with Maciej and we always connected when we came back to SA on a visit.

Since our last visit, the Waterfront which is a sprawling complex of hotels, restaurants and shopping mall in the dock area, has expanded hugely. And in fact, that evening I was back there for supper with Brin, Sherida, Barry and Carole at Primi Piatti, a noisy jam packed restaurant where I had grilled lam chops and Greek salad, After supper they introduced me to a delicious ice-cream place called Sinful – and the honeycomb flavour was indeed that..

Merchant of Venice, Maynardville in the Dark - Friday February 1st,08

Today’s day time highlight other than a great chacha and samba dance class was lunch with two aunts, Essie and Rosaline, who were my mother’s first cousins, at the courtyard restaurant at Winchester Mansions on Beach Road, Sea Point . I caught up on the details of offspring and marriages for my family tree. My genealogy work sort of got put on hold for the pastg few years but I am slowly getting back to it.

My one “big” theatre experience plan was to see The Merchant of Venice at Maynardville open air theatre. Barry had picked up tickets for himself and me, and after an early super with Carole we drove off to Wynberg where Maynardville is located. Parking was quite an experience in itself. There is little parking around the gardens and cars were jammed into tiny spots lining the streets all around. As we were slowly driving by, one of the self-appointed paring attendants with a bright fluorescent vest, waved Barry up a side street to a spot on the pavement just under a no-parking sign. Since no-one seemed to care about the no parking signs, we left the car to his tender care and made out way to the theatre. Barry was quite convinced he would get a ticket so we took a bet for a toblerone chocolate. At least if he got a ticket there would be some sweet compensation!

Things looked promising as we entered the gardens. People were milling around, many having picnicked on the grass. They were selling a coffee table-like book called “Shakespeare at Maynardville.” I took a shot of the stage from the back and then we found our seats. The grass slopes up fairly rapidly so the sight
lines to the stage were not bad. The place was packed. The show started promptly on time. I found the accents a bit disconcerting – some frankly South African English, some more British, one sounding vaguely German – but the sound system worked well initially and the actors were clearly audible despite the strong breeze and rustle of leaves. Then on came Portia…and disaster struck. Whether her microphone was positioned incorrectly or was faulty, her voice faded in and out, so much of her lines were inaudible. Finally she exited and one could almost hear the entire audience thinking, ”Ok, so they will fix the problem.” But no – Portia re-enters and the sound is as bad as ever. Just as my level of irritation was rising to a point when I wanted to stand up and scream “stop the show till you fix the bloody microphone” everything went black and silent. There was a minute of stunned silence and then a mixture of groans of disbelief, frustrated laughter and mumblings of disgust. Nobody could believe that Eskom had chosen this time to “load shed”.

As it turned out, this was not a planned “load shed” but a massive power failure that plunged almost the entire Cape Peninsula into the dark. Someone from the show announced that it was cancelled and that we should be careful exiting in the pitch dark. He said “this is probably the only time you will ever hear a request in a theatre to turn your cell phones ON.” The little light from the phones helped illuminate the uneven pathways out of the gardens.

As we drove back over De Waal Drive then navigated traffic lights that were dark, it was actually quite eerie to see huge swathes of black where normally millions of lights would be visible. I could not help thinking of the closing scenes of Atlas Shrugged.

The Energy Crisis – South Africa’s, not mine. Thursday 31st, 08

Have you ever heard the term “load shedding?” I had not. It refers to the electrical utility, Eskom, switching off electricity to conserve energy. South Africa has a major energy crisis due to a combination of inadequate infrastructure and a growing population and economy. According to the newspapers and television reports the country spent billions on arms purchases and virtually nothing on expanding and modernizing the energy infrastructure, although well warned of a looming crisis. Actually while I was commenting scathingly to Michael about the problem he reminded me that California had a term for the same thing – rolling brownouts! I guess that would be politically incorrect usage here.

Well, by any other name… I had not personally fallen victim to a “load shed” until today – the one day Barry and I had planned to go to the main Cape Town Library to do some historical research. He fetched me from Upper Orange Street after dance class and we drove downtown. It was hot and slightly windy. The pavements wee dusty from the construction that is happening all over. In all the time I lived in Cape Town I don’t remember ever going to the Central Library – branch libraries were adequate for my needs at that time.

So I signed in, paid my 5 rand to get a locker to deposit my bag, and wandered around till a friendly librarian showed me the computer system. I had literally just completed my first search and was pulling up the first result when – lights out, computer off. Eskom had load-shed the downtown core. It was just around lunch time and cafes and restaurants were left unable to service their customers, card machines did not work etc. etc. Unbelievable. So that was the end of my research afternoon.

Skip rapidly to evening. We had hoped to go to dinner with Gavin, my nephew, at Pigalle, where he works but the restaurant was bought out for a private function. As a connoisseur of the restaurant scene in Cape Town having worked in the industry for several years, he suggested we try Riboville, a relatively new restaurant (late 2006), and a new concept. It is located at Wale Street and Adderley Street in an old bank building. The bank vaults in the basement have been converted into a massive wine cellar, probably the biggest restaurant wine cellar I have ever seen. Again, since I am days behind on the travelblogue I will let the pictures tell the story. However I have to say that the prawn and langoustine platter was excellent – succulent and sweet. Drank too much wine- here in the heat even two glasses is too much – and though I fell asleep promptly as usual, I woke up around 4 am really feeling the heat – environmental heat that is. I swear it was in the thirties even at that time.

Penguin video

They go like little arrows

Swimming with the Penguins- really! Wednesday Jan 30, 08

I arranged to meet Brin and Sherida downstairs at 7 am so we could drive out to the Boulders and then out to Muizenberg, to swim. Sherida’s mom, Olive, who helps with her in her clothing shop, came along too. We are all cryptic crossword puzzle nuts!

The Boulders is a reserve for the Cape Penguin, who used to be known as Jackass Penguins for the sounds they make. There is a huge colony there. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. The beach at Boulders was as beautiful as I remembered it but I couldn’t help thinking that penguins probably pee in the water just like humans, although probably less surreptitiously. Hmmm…..

Just to comment that the water at Muizenberg, which I fondly remember as relatively warm, was freezing cold. Well according to Brin it was around 17 degrees. Cold by my standards. Still I swam at both the Boulders and Muizenberg. At Muizenberg I was horrified to hear they have to have shark spotters stationed on the mountainside overlooking the bay as there have been shark attacks. Getting to be like Australia! Anyway, although I did not venture out any where near where sharks would venture, I did not stay in the water very long!

We had brunch at a lovely little restaurant and bakery in Muizenberg called Kneads, meandered around Westlake looking for a dance shop that I found on the internet – the dance shoes here definitely fit me better than the British and German imports I have tried in Vancouver. Then a dash back for dance lesson at Camps Bay, and later dinner at Greens, in Tamboers Kloof with Brin, Sherida, Gaby and Hayden

Craving curry - Tuesday, Jan 29th, 08

The morning started off with another unpredictable Rikki ride to dance class at 9 am. After it took twenty minutes and several dropped cellphone calls to get through to the dispatch, I was told “ the cab will be there in 4 minutes!”. Ha! So even though I know by now that 4 minutes could be anything from 10 to 20 minutes I rushed like mad to get downstairs. The cab actually arrived in about 8 minutes. Then we went on a majorly circuitous route that got me to the Scout Hall with about 10 minutes to spare.

Two hours of very energetic Latin and I was absolutely drenched but totally exhilarated by the time we were finished. Another circuitous Rikki ride got me back to the flat by just after noon. The average temperature has hovered between 29 and 31 so even after a cool shower, in no time at all I was feeling hot and rather unmotivated to move much.

Cape Malay cuisine is a spicy, often stew based style of cooking, that grew out of the food prepared by the cooking of the slaves from Indonesia, originally brought to the Cape by the Dutch East India Company. Bobotie, mince meat stewed with apricots, raisins and brown sugar, and tomato bredie, a rich stew often made from mutton or lamb, are two of the foods I remember from childhood. But curries of all kinds are also a common food, characteristic of this cuisine.

Weirdly, since I normally avoid curry at home, I was craving curry. So with a wide choice of restaurants, we headed down to the Cape Malay restaurant at the Portsmouth Hotel for supper. The lamb curry I had was good with a bit more of a bite than I find tolerable but in between mouthfuls, water helped. We tried their samosas but frankly I have had better ones in Vancouver. The pastry was very thick and doughy. However the setting was attractive. And I did not get indigestion despite the strength of the “mild” curry.

More Memories - Monday, January 28th,08

My morning got off to a slightly slower start than usual as my dance classes were scheduled for 3 to 5 at the Camps Bay Bowling Club. I was picked up at 11 by my cousin, Sandra, and she suggested we visit the Rhodes Memorial area which has a magnificent view of the city- and have lunch at the restaurant there. We sat at a table under the trees, at the edge of the mountain side and caught up on a decade of news. Sandra had been a boarder at Good Hope for most of high school and the fact that she was there was a major reason that I did not object too much when I was packed off to boarding school for the second last year of high school. It was a little strange to think that we are now both grandmothers.

I thought a few more pictures rather than words would be best for today. The low building in the foreground of the apartment complex is Forest Hill, the complex where Bob and I had our first apartment when we were married in my fourth year of med school. The second picture is the view looking up at Rhodes Memorial and the third looking over the peninsula from the memorial.

Fish and Chips at Hout Bay -Sunday, January 27th, 08

I realize that most of my photos involve people sitting round a table ready to eat. Or else beaches and mountains. More coming.

Brin and Sherida fetched me at around 10 am. It was already blazing hot. I had a swim suit on under my shorts and was eagerly anticipating a swim in the warmer waters on the south-west side of the peninsula. We picked up Sandra, Sherida’s sister, who lives on High Level Road in a flat with an amazing view out over the ocean, and the 4 of us drove out to Hout Bay.

I remembered it as a quiet small village where people used to drive out to for tea on a Sunday afternoon. Then it went through a period of being the “in-“ place to stay and some magnificent homes were built out there. In the last ten years horrendous squatters’ camps have metastasized up the mountainside. Polluted water drains down into the bay and even the water on the beach has an unclean brownish appearance.

The living conditions in these squatters’ areas and in the “townships” just off the main roadways are horrendous – corrugated iron shacks with no running water.. Illegally linked wires tap electricity from the main grid contributing to the major energy crisis. I wonder how many people have been electrocuted just trying to hook up these power lines?

Anyway the drive around the mountain to Hout Bay was as always stunning in the sheer magnificence of mountain and ocean but the wind howled and beat at the bushes and trees. At the beach we went ahead with our plans to go for a long walk but the combination of howling wind and polluted water put an end to any thought of swimming in my mind. What a shame. W ell, we are planning to go to The Boulders and Muizenberg on Wednesday, very early in the morning. Hopefully I will get at least one ocean swim in before I leave.

We were going to drive a way along Chapman’s Peak, another stunningly beautiful drive, but came to a toll road. Apparently there were major rock falls and a tourist was killed a few years ago by a falling rock. So they decided to do preventative work including putting nets up although told that they would be ineffective. The tolls are to pay for this supposedly. So there are signs up warning about the dangers –like we have at home. We decided to turn around and go to the fish and chips place. The fish is called hake- a firm white fish- and again great chips. Ok how can you not eat chips at a fish and chip stand? Hopefully my body will acknowledge the reality of that thought and not maliciously use the chips to re-expand my waistline just as I was back to my pre-travel svelte (really!) state.The heat was quite draining and we drove back to Sea Point . I meant to write a bit but instead fell into a semi-stupor.

Carole had arranged for the Lockitch cousins of our generation who are still living in Cape Town to come over for a light supper. With the present day diaspora, most went to Sydney, Australia (Gerda, Ricky, Judy, Linda and Leslie), then Vancouver (Bob), London (Blanche) and Tel Aviv (Alan). So the cousins in Cape Town are Barry and Brin, Avril and Jeff, and Steve. Apart from Carole and Sherida, the partners were Len, Bev and Celeste. So there were eleven of us around the table. I learned some things about the previous Lockitch generation from Avril. Her mother, Sadie, and her first husband Barney were apparently excellent ballroom dancers, as were Bob’s parents. So that’s where Bob got his great sense of rhythm and loved of dancing from. Who knew?

An “African” Experience - Saturday, January 26th, 08

Maybe it was just the heat but I was not very impressed with any of the wines that I tasted today. I found the white wines, mainly sauvignon blanc and chenin blancs very thin for want of a better word and I am not much of a red wine drinker. So after the second tasting we decided to go back to Sea Point for a rest and shower before driving back to Stellenbosch to Moyo, the restaurant at Spiers.

Brin drove Sherida, Barry, Carole and me out and we met Nathan and Edina who came in their own car. We were seated round a large table outside the main tent in a tree sheltered courtyard, which we appreciated. A breeze kept us reasonably cool.

They have a very extensive buffet with stations identified as fish, salads, venison etc. The meats were very interesting. There were gemsbok steaks, ostrich brochettes, sausages made of game as well as beef, lamb chops, curries: it just went on and on. They served three kinds of bread rolls to start- an onion-coconut topping looked promising but the breads were dry and not very flavourful. The salads were plentiful as were the desserts. I avoided the sweet stuff and thank heavens there was a variety of fruit.

African singers and dancers provided entertainment. They have some one there who paints your face. The pained expression on my face in the picture is because it had just occurred to me that she just dips the brush in the paint and then touches your face with it. No cleaning in between victims. Not very hygienic!

An interesting evening. It was nice to have some time with Nathan and Edina, who is just about at term. Hopefully I will see the new baby before I leave.

A tropical heat wave- Saturday, January 26th, 08

The heat here has been unrelenting with highs over 35 degrees. Fortunately the humidity is not too bad. We had planned to drive out to wine country for some tastings and Carole had booked for dinner at Moyo, an African restaurant at Speirs, one of the large wine farms near Stellenbosch. So the idea was to drive out in the morning and visit a number of wineries before dinner. But in view of the extreme heat we decided that we would drive back into town to shower and change before going out for dinner.

Left around 10 to drive out to Fransch Hoek with the objective of having lunch at a restaurant called Reubens. Carole told me that this was voted the best restaurant in South Africa two years ago. I was skeptical. I googled the list and found it on Eat Out in a list of the top 10 restaurants in SA in 2006. Pretty impressive for a place in a country town of about 13,000 population. But reading further it appears as if Fransch Hoek has made a gourmet name for itself with several top restaurants located there.

I remember when a trip to Stellenbosch or Fransch Hoek was at the very least a week-end outing. Ok I guess I am dating myself! But now the roads are great and it’s about an hour’s drive from Sea Point. So I can see how folks would drive out there for dinner. Carole was not sure if we would be able to get in without a reservation but since it was lunch we thought we would take a chance. The efficient hostess seated us in the courtyard with no delay. A breeze (euphemism) kept the temperature comfortable and thank heavens no one was smoking.

I loved the menu. It’s always great when the descriptions of the food make you want to try everything. I settled for the bluecheese/marscapone (onion?) tart in puff pastry with salad followed by roast yellowtail (another SA fish species) with portato puree and steamed asparagus while Carole started with the warm duck salad with honey-mint-chili dressing. Hmmm…

In no time a platter with a delicious multigrain bread appeared and our appetizers followed shortly. One bite of the tart and my skepticism vanished into the air. It was simply the best food I have had since arriving in SA. I savoured every taste. The blue cheese just melted on the tongue.

The main course was a little less inspiring. Yellowtail is a firm fish a little like tuna but not as firm. It was perfectly cooked, moist and flavourful. The asparagus were also done to perfection. However I was not impressed by the potato puree which was bland and seemingly swimming in oil. The presentation was beautiful as you can see but the oil a bit much. Replete, we debated whether to do some wine tasting. It was very hot! However Carole wanted to show me a wine farm where she and Barry had spent a weekend as a birthday gift from her kids, and really loved it. So off we drove.

We’re having a heat wave -Friday, January 25th, 08

Not much to report other than the heat. Although my dance class started at nine it was already hot. Had a great class- worked on rumba, samba and foxtrot and really felt I was making progress. Took a Rikki back uneventfully

When Carole came back from work we drove around to pick up fish and other groceries and checked out some clothing stores. I am just not a particularly compulsive shopper- nothing much appealed though the prices are good.

We were all tired and spent a quiet evening at home talking and reading. I am now reading Mansfield Park, one of the Jane Austen books I have not read, and not one of her best, in my opinion as far as I have read. I think its because the heroine, Fanny, is such a wimp! She irritates me - in contrast to spunky Elizabeth Bennett. Thats why everyone knows Pride and Prejudice and probably far fewer people read Mansfield Park.

On Broadway - Thursday, January 24th, 08

That evening I asked Barry and Carole to join me at another dinner theatre show downtown. The venue was a club called On Broadway. It’s a long room with a row of tables on a raised dais lining each long wall and many more tables in the central well of the room. We were about three tables back from the raised stage and had an excellent view. The show was called “Strictly Come Jazz”, a play on the title of “Strictly Come Dancing” which is the UK and SA version of our “Dancing with the Stars”.

The food was on a par with the other dinner shows. I had a snoek pate to start. Snoek is a fish which I have only heard about in the South African context. I don’t know whether it is just the local term for a fish that is also found elsewhere. I guess I should google that if I really care!

The show consisted of three singers, two men and a woman with a voice that ranged from a smoky honey timbre to a pure sweet tone. The show was loosely constructed around the idea of audition, production and performance but they could have dropped that idea. It added nothing to the production which consisted of simply choreographed jazz evergreens, beautifully sung by all three performers. Standout songs were Francois Lliam’s “Mack the Knife” and just about everything sung by Monique Hellenberg. The third performer Jaco Norval was also a good singer but seemed to be a trifle distracted by a table of 4 next to us, who may have been friends as they laughed and applauded excessively loudly at everything he did.

I enjoyed the show – the choice of songs was perfect for our generation. They ended with a cheesy shtick of getting three women from the audience to join them “dancing” on stage with ostrich feather boas around their necks. It was tolerable until they played a cha-cha and none of the women had a clue! That finished it off for me. The show would have been good enough without the “audience participation” which turned it into a cheesy non-professional gig. Pity.

Ride into Danger? - Thursday, January 24th, 08

On his way to work, Barry dropped me off at the Scout Hall for my dance class at 9. I was sitting on a bench trying to figure out the cell phone Carole had loaned me when Edwin arrived. He gave me a strict warning about never using the cell phone in the street or in an exposed environment. Apparently it is a very common occurrence that phones will be snatched out of one’s hands. Nice. And I was just beginning to feel a greater sense of security.

After class I phoned for a Rikki to pick me up at Carluccis, just down the road. They said 5 minutes. About 15 minutes later a Rikki pulled up across the road and someone got out. I assumed that this was the one I was waiting for (South African time being what it is) so when he pulled around in front of the restaurant, I got in. I was the only passenger. As we drove off the driver said to me “if your phone rings don’t answer it”. “Why?” says I, suddenly anxious. After Edwin’s dire warnings about always being aware of one’s surroundings had I unwittingly done something foolish and dangerous? Broken some unwritten law of Rikki riding? Was I about to be "taken for a ride" and disappear into the vast unknown beyond the local twenty rand fare zone?

Stopped at a traffic light (robot in SouthAfricaspeak) the gaunt, white haired, sunken eyed driver twisted around and said “I stole a ride, don’t answer your phone.”

So it turned out that he was just dropping the other guy off and saw the opportunity to pick up another passenger and the poor driver who was dispatched to pick me up was now waiting outside Carlucci’s and his fare was gone. I could hear the radio crackling and the voice of the other driver saying "I'm at Carlucci's and there is no one here!"

"Oh dear” I thought, “am I now going to be on some Rikki hotlist of passengers never to be picked up again?”. Fortunately my phone did not ring so I guess I can use the cell phone again to call a Rikki with no fear of retribution. Anyway I was dropped off safely in front of the flat and went inside vowing to be more alert next time.

Catching up on sleep – Wednesday, January 23rd, 08

Caught a Rikki out to Orange Street for my dance lesson at nine. Brin took a day off work and picked me up at the hall. Two hours of very vigorous dance ending with jive, in the Cape Town heat - and I thought I really needed a shower to cool down and re-energise. So after a stop over at the flat we headed back into town to visit the newly enhanced South African Jewish Museum, and the Holocaust Centre. Amidst the photos and documentation of that awful stage of history, what sticks indelibly in the memory are the first hand testimonials of survivors, recorded on video.

From there we drove down to Plein Street to a shop that sells locally manufactured dance shoes and I finally found a pair of shoes that feels comfortable on both the right and left foot. A miracle. And with the conversion from rand to dollar a veritable steal.

Next stop was to check out the surf to see if Brin should get out his board but the sea was not right for that particular day so surfing was off the agenda. We arranged to visit Brin’s little grandchildren whom I had never seen. I collected the books that I got for then the other day as gifts and we drove up the mountainside to their house that has magnificent view of the ocean. Of course the kids were quite adorable.

Since everyone was tired after our late night at Madam Zingara’s, combined with the heat, we all decided a quiet evening was called for. Chatted to Alo on Skype. Have not been able to connect with MJ yet. I finished yet another book on the Sony Reader and had a relatively early night.

Madame Zingara’s – dinner theatre with a difference - Tuesday, Jan 22,08.

So apparently one of the things one MUST do as a tourist in Cape Town at the moment is go to Madame Zingara’s. Newly relocated in a huge tent near the Canal Walk area, this is dinner and a circus-like entertainment. The original restaurant gained fame for its signature dish of Chocolate Chilli Steak. I must say I had my doubts- the combination of chocolate and steak is not something I would routinely fry up at home.

We had to be out there to be seated by 7:30 so we all packed into Brin’s car and took off. The tent I learned seats 420 at capacity although there were about 350 there last night for the show. At each table was a centerpiece which can be seen min the picture. What you cant see clearly is the barbie-doll dressed in little but pasties on the chest, lolling among the apples! Ok leaving the cheesy centerpiece aside, the y had a DJ whose music was absolutely terrific. Fresh from a 2 hour dance lesson I could hardly keep my feet still as the music ranged from a pounding rock beat to a cha-cha and then a romantic ballad style song.

The set menu started with a delicious vegetable cream soup that tasted like roasted red pepper or tomato, antipasto, pasta and then an entrée – one of the choices was the famous chocolate chilli (yes they spell it with 2 lls) steak – which actually was quite an interesting flavour, and then dessert- which I did not eat but seemed to be enjoyed by everyone.

The dinner show was quite good – a lot of aerial work, shapely girls hanging by ankles or wrists from bars and cages and stuff, an incredible pair of strong men with unbelievable muscle control and balance, and an Asian woman who folded her body into the most complex positions. I wondered for about a millisecond whether if I had stretched properly from infancy I could have been able to contort my spine into those shapes- and then I found myself wondering what the incidence of early osteoarthritis is in those performers. The Tons were three large women with voices that matched their girth but they and another featured singer had the place rocking. Good fun. Dance lesson at 9 tomorrow so need to get to bed sson.

No Power - Tuesday, January 22nd, 08

Headlines in this evening’s paper are about a failure of the cable car that takes people to the top of Table Mountain. It seems that, following a power failure, the cars got stuck and it took hours or so to get them moving again. Apparently people were stranded on the mountain overnight. Apart from the obvious scary thing about being trapped in a metal cage 1000 metres or about 3200 ft up in the air, one has to ask the questions –why did the power company not notify the station that they were going to cut the power, and why does the cable station not have back up generators?

Before you think I am totally deranged- after all why would anyone cut the power deliberately?, apparently there is a major crisis with power generating capacity in this country, like the California crisis two years, but here the Government controlled power company, Eskom, apparently has a “Load Shedding” program- talk about euphemisms. What that means is that they just cut power to a part of the city or whatever. And although there is supposed to be advance warning, often the stated times don’t match reality. I am very glad I am not staying in a high rise tower!

Reflections – Tuesday, January 22nd, 08

Time is speeding by – I have already been here 6 days. I decided to take some quiet time so Barry and Carole headed off to work this morning and I sat down with my coffee and my PDA phone list to try to contact old friends who I have not seen for a decade. But before that I finally managed to get through to BA at Cape Town airport, who did not seem at all surprised by my tale of suitcase theft. In fact they have a section for “pilfered” luggage! Sad isn’t it. I wonder if the same thing exists at YVR and Heathrow. Its just that the items stolen were so petty!

Some time to catch up on impressions. One thing that surprised me was how quickly my Afrikaans speaking came back. I was never a great scholar in Afrikaans but on the other hand we started learning it in kindergarten or Grade 1, so I guess those memory patterns get laid down very solidly. Although I find myself occasionally searching for a word, surprisingly the grammatical construction is still there. Still, I am hardly discussing profound philosophical ideas so the words I am scrambling to remember are pretty basic – like laundry or super market. But I think the accent is ok and people seem to understand me.

I see a lot of changes from my last visit here in ’98. At that time the country was very much in transition from the previous socio-political reality and the impressions that I had were of a crowded dirty city with chaotic traffic and crime everywhere. I had come here for my Med School reunion and stayed for a couple of days in a major downtown hotel, before the family arrived to join me. While I was checking in one of the hotel guests staggered through the front door having been mugged a block from the hotel in broad daylight. Today the Sea Point beach front is less crowded and at least during the day I see people jogging by themselves or walking alone carrying purses and shopping bags. Ironically I have just read on the internet about yet another restaurant shooting in Vancouver – so violent crime is a problem everywhere. I certainly do not have the intense sense of insecurity that I remember from my previous visit. In the quiet surroundings of Sea Point it is relatively easy to overlook the staggering crime statistics in the city.

There has been a lot of construction since my last visit. The huge shopping centres would fit right in to the poshest areas in North America. For many things the rand against the dollar makes things very cheap for visitors and I guess for people from Britain and Europe it is an absolute steal. Every time I think how expensive something is I divide by 6 and realize that relative to Vancouver its quite cheap. So a meal for three that comes to 360 rand, very expensive for a local, is only 60 dollars C – not bad at all for the quality.

Anyway, time to have lunch and try to catch a Rikki to my class in Orange Street. Tonight we are going to “Madame Zingara’s (don’t ask!) for dinner. Its supposed to be quite an experience. Will report back later.

Who could ask for anything more? Monday January 21,08

Bookstores and dance class- my idea of bliss. Really - who could ask for anything more?

Barry and I were out on the beach front just before 8 this morning. It was the perfect temperature, warm but not humid, sea breeze. We passed joggers, walkers and people walking their dogs. The sea was that deep violet blue, almost black, that brings to mind Homer’s “wine-red sea” and the surf was crashing against the rocks. We just don’t get that sound of crashing waves in False Creek.

Back for a quick shower and healthy breakfast of –yogurt, fruit and nuts – I really am too predictable. Then off to a children’s bookstore called A for Apple. There are 4 cousins born or on the way and I thought that books were the ideal gifts. So I was shopping for 2 five year old boys, 3 and 2 year old girls and 2 babies. Saw some really interesting books that I have not seen in N.America – with African themes and stories, so I got a few for CJ as well.

Then we went for lunch with Gavin at Pigalle, the 6 star restaurant where he is one of the managers, and busy revamping the wine list. We are planning to come back one evening for dinner and dance there, next week.

Later I was off to a hall in Camps Bay for a dance class. The temperature here today was 33 degrees and although the hall was large and airy it was still very warm. The lesson ended up being two and a half hours. We worked on foxtrot and waltz, then some quickstep and ended up with 15 minutes of jive. I am beginning to feel back to normal – even though it will probably take a few more days to work off the effect of those chips! It’s interesting how much one’s body becomes accustomed to exercise and how lumpish you can feel after missing out on your regimen for a few days.

Paternoster- further up the west coast - Sunday, January 20th, 08

Paternoster - residences on the beach Marvellous beach- freezing water -oh well!

Barry and I were up and off for our beach walk at Langebaan quite early this morning. The wind was not quite as strong morning but for the first part of the walk along the water’s edge the wind was in our faces. There is something about the tang of sea air that is not like any other wind. Maybe it raises vestigial memories of the waters our progenitors emerged from millions of years ago. Have I got my time frame right? I know it’s not 6,000 years – oops, no sarcasm, this is a travelblogue not a polemic on evolution and intelligent design. Anyway for whatever reason, wind blowing off the sea is specially invigorating.

Back to the cottage for coffee and my yogurt, fruit and nuts – a creature of habit, I confess. And then we set off for an hour drive up the coast to visit Paternoster, a fishing village, which, like most of these places is undergoing major development. Ironically, the style of housing is more like the Greek island villas than the Mykonos development we visited yesterday. The beach shown here is at Paternoster.

Now we are back at the cottage and packing up to return to Cape Town. Tonight Brin is cooking his spaghetti Bolognese specialty with a meat sauce to die for! I decided its about time I read the manual for my camera – so ciao till later.

Blow ye winter winds, ye cataracts and hurricanes – Saturday January 19th, 08

The view at Mykonos resort, Langebaan View from the restaurant

Ok I have here neither my copy of Lear nor access to Google but I think that was how he began his rant - sort of. Suffice it to say that the wind on the west cost howls like a banshee. Undeterred however, Barry and I set out early to walk down to the beach and had a brisk invigorating stroll (hmmm… can you stroll briskly? Oxymoron? Oh whatever) - a brisk invigorating stroll along the seemingly endless white sand. It was packed quite firm – a nice smooth hard surface – like a dance floor. Maybe tomorrow my IPOD will accompany me and I can get a nice workout on the beach.

Back to the house for coffee and a bowl of creamy (low-fat) Bulgarian yogurt with fruit and nuts, and then off to visit some of the massive resort developments that have been built in this area. There is a time-share resort/ Casino development called Mykonos, supposedly built in the style of the Greek Islands. Apart from names like the Athene conference centre and the Agora Market it did not look specially Greek to me. No calamari and octopus drying on the roof tops or…

For lunch at the local restaurant I decided to break out of the fish and chips mould and try an ostrich steak. Supposedly the meat is very low in cholesterol. Whether or not that’s true it was an interesting meat, moist, tender and very flavorful. Wonder if they sell ostrich at Urban Fare?

We spent a relaxed afternoon at the cottage. I was restless. Wrote some blogue, studied the bridge book, played some hands on the computer to see if I was absorbing the lessons, did a couple of sudoku and was horrified by the time it took me to complete then so did a couple more; 22 then 16 then 10 minutes, did some logic puzzles, got restless, pulled out my walkman and worked out to the music from Fame – the TV show, and then settled down to read a novel on my Sony reader till it was time to go for dinner.

We went to an old hotel called The Farmhouse hotel which had a highly recommended restaurant. The food was fine. I tried a fish called butterfish which was supposed to be very rich but did not seem so to me.

I ordered a wine blended from gewurtztraminer and a varietal I had not heard of called buttekau or something like that. The wine was good, semi sweet with just enough acidity. Need to look up the varietal when I get back to internet access.

No, you really can’t go home again. Friday Jan18, 08

Good Hope Seminary High School

The exterior of Rosecourt - where it all began

The Scout Hall - dance place

In the area near the Scout Hall were several places of historical import to me and Barry took me on a little tour down memory lane before my dance class.

Good Hope Seminary was the all girls high school I attended for my last two years before matriculation. I was sent to boarding school in standard 9 (the equivalent of grade 11) by my exasperated parents in the hopes that I would forget about being a social butterfly – well I was wild about dancing even then – and once again become the academic star I was before I discovered boys! It worked. There was really nothing else to do at boarding school but study, so during my sojourn at Good Hope my grades improved so much that I made it into UCT Medical School.

The picture of the school building is Good Hope and if my memory serves me right, the windows on the top floor where the dormitories used to be. Bob nearly got me expelled by throwing stones against the window late one night to attract me to the window so we could talk. Unfortunately it was the wrong window and I slept through all the noise, so next day when we were all questioned about the incident I could honestly proclaim total innocence.

The next stop on the tour through memory lane was where I realized Wolfe was right. You can’t go home again. We stopped outside Rosecourt, which, in my teens, was a hall where the local kids used to go to dances. I went there only once against my parents’ wishes as I was just getting over a cold. That was the night I met Bob. I was fifteen. I sometimes used to wonder what would have happened if I had been a more obedient and malleable person and not defied my mother. Would we have met elsewhere? On the beach at Muizenberg, maybe? Anyway I went to the dance at Rosecourt, met Bob there, and by the end of our first date a while later, I knew that was the man I wanted to marry. Six years later when I was half way through medical school and he was working as an engineer, we tied that knot!

So there I was outside Rosecourt, trembling with excitement – (ok I exaggerate) – but anyway hopeful that I could see the hall where we had actually met. We pressed the bell and were invited into the building but it had long ago been remodeled. Only a narrow passage leading up a few steps to what had been the bandstand, remained. Oh well, the memory is filed in my mental archive.

Time for dance lesson number 2. We decided to focus on tango – another dance in which I felt the movement was awkward for me. I made up my mind in advance that I was going to get out of my head and just feel the movement. One of the things I realized about practicing a lot by yourself – although important to learn the steps- is that one anticipates rather than responds, and then one is leading oneself rather than dancing WITH and responding to, one’s partner’s lead. Anyway by the end of the hour I felt as though I was moving like a tango dancer with none of the strained awkwardness I usually feel in this dance. The CBM just came naturally. And the hour finished too fast. I am beginning to understand the theory of relativity!

To get back to the flat I decided to follow Sherida’s advice and call a Rikki. It’s like a small London taxi, with a flat rate of 20 rand within the downtown zone. Twenty minutes later it arrived and I hopped in. After a few minutes even my geographically challenged mind told me we were going in an odd direction but just as I was getting a little uneasy he stopped and a second passenger climbed in. Then I realized that they pick up multiple passengers where possible – that’s how they keep the prices down I guess.

Number 2 passenger turned out to be visiting from Ireland, on his way to spend a year in Australia so we chatted about Cape Town sights and things to see and do in Australia. Then I noticed we were heading over Kloof Nek Road and descending the other side of the mountain with stunning views of the beaches and the intense blue ocean. We picked up passenger 3, a local man who lived in a gated residence high up on the slopes, and then zoomed down to drop off Irishman at Number 4 Beach Clifton. I looked at his fair skin and suggested he use a ton of sunscreen. The sun is quite merciless on those white sand beaches.

Back at the flat, we waited for Carole to return from work and then packed the car to drive to spend the weekend in a holiday house at Langebaan , up the west coast. It took about 2 hours because of weekend traffic.

By the time we got organized it was time for dinner. We drove to Friday Island, another small resataur ant for yet another excellent fish supper. This time I had the Cape Salmon AKA Geelbek (which means yellow mouth) which bears no resemblance to our Pacific or Atlantic Salmon but is a white fish. Yummy. We also polished off a bottle of Chenin Blanc.

Then Carole beat me embarrassingly in a game of Scrabble – I kept getting sets of tiles like ZXQBTCD with nary a vowel in sight. Mind you I did manage ADZE on a double word score but all in all not a shining hour for a woman of many words! I retired to bed in a state of abject humility.

Dance at Last – Thursday, January 17,08

Being away for nearly a month, I was concerned about keeping up my level of fitness and not putting on weight – what with no gym, no dance classes, and having to try all the new and exciting restaurants in Cape Town. I was also concerned about withdrawal symptoms from my growing dance addiction. So being a trained researcher and all that, I used the Internet back in Vancouver, to find a dance instructor in Cape Town who taught international dancing. I found someone that sounded promising and gave Brin his cell phone number. Brin had phoned him a couple of weeks ago to find out where he taught. Edwin had suggested that I call him once I reached Cape Town – and that was the first thought on my mind when I woke up today to bright Cape sunshine. I guess normal people would first think "beach" but not me.

Since 6 am was a mite early to be calling anyone, Barry and I went for a walk along the beach front before coming back to the flat (apartment in Canadaspeak) for breakfast. By just after 9 I reached Edwin by phone and we arranged that I would meet him at the Scout Hall in Orangezicht, one of the two locations where he teaches for an hour lesson at 1:30. Then we would see how it worked out and plan further lessons if it seemed right.

The hall was located in an area of the city which held lots of personal interest for me. On the way to the hall Barry drove me around the steep narrow streets while I tried to retrieve long buried memories of time and place from the poorly annotated archives of my mind. Who knows while you live life that it would be useful 40 years later if you deliberately make mental index cards for your daily activities. More later, with pictures!

So, to Edwin. Imagine intensely serious and bubbly personality all in one, he works with competitive dancers and only teaches private lessons – although he is building a studio where he will offer group classes, I guess. Anyway, we decided to go with the first lesson and then figure out a plan. I had brought the routines for the 8 dances I was working on for the bronze level tests (Waltz, quickstep, slow foxtrot, tango, rumba, cha-cha, samba and jive for the non-dancers among you). We decided to start with rumba. After a cursory glance to see what comprised the routine, he gave back the sheets and said we would be working on dancing, not “a dance”. I took that to mean technique – movement, posture, etc. Just what I wanted, actually.

Within the first 5 minutes I knew that his teaching style was going to be great for me. He uses an interesting mix of metaphor and demonstration to access the mental dance component but is very hands on to access muscle memory. The hour sped by and I realized that he had almost effortlessly got me to move in the way I had been trying to achieve before by copying what I thought I was supposed to do. Yet whereas I had been trying so hard that the end result felt strained, now I simply stopped thinking and just let the music and the movement settle into my body . Bingo - the sense of unnaturalness disappeared. Good teacher, I thought. We set the time for the next class at Friday 10 am.

Carole and Adina (newly wed to Nathan, Carole and Barry’s oldest) fetched me and we headed off to do some shopping for baby stuff first at Access Park (an outlet shop centre) and then at Canal Walk. The latter place has a huge mall with shops ranging from the very elegant to the mundane.Back at the flat as the sun was getting lower, Brin, Sherida and I took off on a “power walk” along the beachfront. This involved brisk walking with stops for push-ups and stepping, in between. It was a beautiful walk but not as energetic as my usual early morning 40 minutes on the elliptical. Guess I am going to have to go the “control the intake” route – bummer!

Then Barry, Carole and I drove down to The Waterfront complex to have supper at the Ocean Basket. They served grilled fish in a pan. The fish here has so far been uniformly good, never overcooked. Darn it- I could not resist the chips. Oh well there is always tomorrow- and I have not stepped on a scale yet so why worry?

Coming Home? Part 2. Wednesday, Jan 16th, 08

After a long walk on the white sand beach, occasionally letting tiny icy wavelets ripple over our bare feet, we met up with surfer dude and headed off to Jimmy’s Restaurant for an excellent lunch. I had grilled calamari and shrimp, and I confess – the chips/fries that were cooked to perfection. SA knows its chips!

Back at the apartment it was time to unpack my suitcase. Hung up clothes, packed things neatly in the drawers and then paused, perplexed. There were three things missing from my bag. Weird! One was my super-duper international adapter which rotated on both sides to make any combination of adaptors for Africa, Asia, Europe or America. I had picked it up on a trip to Hong Kong a few years ago and it had saved me and my laptop in many countries since. Item number two was a hairstyling.brush that I use whenever I wash my hair. I clearly remembered exactly where in the suitcase I packed them in the London hotel. The third item I had not even taken out of my suitcase in London. It was my carefully selected 3 week supply of vitamins. Bizarre. I mentioned this to my sister in law half expecting that I would be scoffed at, but no. Apparently his has been a problem at the airport – items stolen from suitcases. And I was using the special combination lock hat you need for American customs so its not inconceivable that these people have figured out how to open it. But what bizarre things to take. My copy of The History Boys script, signed by Alan Bennett, and my nice CD collection of Ballroom music I acquired in London were left intact. I guess the thieves are not admirers of British Theatre – or ballroom dancers.

I took a walk up to the supermarket with Barry, and thought I might as well pick up some vitamins while I was there. I was told “we keep them locked up because the people steal vitamins”. Hmmmm I thought. Ok.

That evening my three of my nieces and nephews came for dinner so there was a crowd around the table – great to see them specially since it was about 15 years since I had seen Nathan, who had just returned from several years as a Diving Instructor for one of the Caribbean cruise lines.

Tumbled into bed around midnight and slept as soundly as though I was at home in my own bed. Minimal problems with the time change so far. Hope it will be the same when I get back to Canada.

Coming Home? - Wednesday, Jan 16th, 08

Emerging from Customs into the warm slightly humid Cape air, I wondered how I would feel. My first visit to the place of my earliest memories, in almost 10 years – and the first time returning alone to Cape Town. Would there be a sense of returning home? Probably no. Vancouver has been home for a long time now.

But standing at the barrier were my two brothers-in-law, Barry and Brin, whom I have known since I was a teenager, madly in love with their older brother, and Brin’s wife, Sherida – and immediately it felt as if I had never been away. We drove to Barry and Carole’s place, in the same building as Brin and Sherida, with a great view of the ocean, Atlantic Ocean that is. Carole was still at work but the others had taken the day off and we decided to drive out to the Blauberg Strand area so Brin could surf. And we could take a long walk on the beach. For the non-Afrikaans speakers among you, Blauberg means blue mountain and Strand is the word for beach.

I am going to post this now to see whether my photos will load or if I have to compress them.

BA Club World- a comparison- Tuesday, Jan 15th,08

It was quite interesting to compare the configurations of the seating in Club world with the newly configured seating in the AC Executive Class. Both have seats that recline to fully horizontal and for a petite frame they are quite a comfortable length. While AC has chosen to incline the personal spaces in parallel, BA alternates them sort of like a yin and yang arrangement. Although there is a privacy shield that you can raise between adjoining seats while it is up you are kind of face to face with – if you are traveling alone- a stranger! Luckily my stranger was a very pleasant man from Germany who worked in marine mining – a most interesting topic.

I liked the compartment under the tray and personal video where you could stash a small purse. The earphones provided were the most effective at noise reduction that I have ever had on a plane. Overall I think I would give the BA configuration 8 out of 10 and the AC maybe 6 out of 10 for comfort.

The flight to Cape Town was about 11 and a half hours and I really tried to sleep – but eventually gave up and watched a movie. At just after 6:15 the plane touched down in Cape Town. Immigration was really rapid and I was impressed by the new shiny spacious trolleys for baggage. I waited expectantly at the luggage carousel. My bag had a Priority sticker from Club World and I expected it off fairly quickly – but no. As case after case rolled by and mine did not appear I began to get a bit anxious. Eventually as the cases began to thin out and I was starting to look around for the BA lost luggage counter, mine appeared. But this is not the end of this luggage saga as you will learn later!