Welcome to South Africa

May19 2011

Welcome to South Africa

Newly married N and I are headed off on our first ever trip together!

We are travelling to South Africa with his parents, four sibling’s and our four-month-old niece. There are nine of us travelling together to meet up with his extended family that all live there. I have never been to Africa before and am both nervous and very excited.

Our first official day in South Africa is coming to a close.

The flight was less grueling than I had expected. I have never experienced such royal treatment as you receive on South African Airlines. I’m guessing it’s more the way flying used to be. When we got on the plane there was a little travel pack waiting on our seats: a warm blanket, socks, sleeping mask, tiny pillow and a toothbrush/paste set. We’ve been served three hot meals so far, including a breakfast omelet. They also serve complimentary wine in half bottles.

We came out relatively unscathed, considering that there are nine of us. There was a delay with one suitcase, and the baby stroller broke. The case was recovered, and a voucher received to cover some of the broken stroller. Frustrating losses but manageable.

We are now settled into a Convent Guesthouse (no that is not a typo—real nuns still live here) for the week. N's Omi has the refrigerator stocked full of tasty meals and the cupboards with home made rusks. Rusks are a South African treat a bit like biscotti that everyone loves. They are disappearing very quickly.

The place is huge with enough space for everyone to have their own room. There is a large kitchen and sitting room as well. The grounds are lovely. I could sit all day our in the warm sun reading in the garden. N and I have a cozy little private room at the back of the house just off the living room. It has a bathroom and the extra room in its own sort of nook. It’s very pleasant.

The nights are much colder than expected, even though I had been forewarned of this. It makes for very uncomfortable sleeping. The days are lovely and warm, even though it is winter here. I feel conspicuous like tourists because we are in our shorts when the nationals are bundled up in tights, toques and scarves.

N's sister introduced me to the most fantastic lattes the world has ever known, or that I have ever known. I was thrilled that we purchased a zoom lens today. I can’t wait to go to the game parks and take pictures of the African wildlife.

We went down to a waterfront area and had a quick, cold look at the beach. We wrapped up the day with a big family dinner at this great pizza place.

Safety is a constant concern. Even if the way, we do things, isn’t particularly different (we still carry purses and cameras and lock doors at the same points) the mindset is always alert and cautious. It is a bit stressful. I am not sure I would notice as a tourist, but our local family is constantly reminding us. Everyone has a story of being robbed or worse.

There are many people working informally. One example of this is the self-assigned car guards. They wear neon reflective vests that look like they’ve seen better days. When we parallel parked the car in a free parking location someone came up to us and said hello and that he would watch the car. I didn’t pay much attention to him. When we returned though there another man, in a vest, who told us that he had been watching the car the whole time and asked for money. I assume they shift off.

We are currently in one of the wealthiest provinces in the country, and the poor are relatively out of sight. The infrastructure looks much like home, the shops are familiar; everyone speaks English, and it is comfortable feeling.

Cape Town is a stunning city! The oceans and the mountains and some truly lovely architecture caressed by lush plant life. Table Mountain sits at the center of the city. It is used to navigate which part of the city you are in because it looks distinctly different from each side.

It gets dark so early (around 6:30pm) that I feel I have not seen much of it much look forward to experiencing more of it.

I can’t get over the fantastic smell of Africa. I just love it here.

I still can’t get over, the fact that we are here.