The last two weeks have seen a lot of activity and events here, mostly good but a few not so wonderful. To the not so good first: we've been reminded that we are living in a part of the world where there are more dangers than at home. Firstly we were hassled by a hungry baboon at Cape Point where we had stopped for a picnic on some rocks near the sea, having almost got to the end of a long and tiring walk. Baboons can inflict a nasty bite and become quite agressive, so we decided to pre-empt any problems and quickly packed up our lunch and moved away. However he wasn't giving up and Neil ended up throwing rocks to scare him away. Fortunately it worked, and we were probably in little danger anyway, but it did remind us that wildlife in Africa has the potential to do a lot more harm than wildlife in England!
And then a wake up call of the human kind in the shape of a guy Neil had helped earlier in the week. A semi homeless chap had been hanging around, and one morning he asked Neil for help contacting friends who apparently were going to put him up. Neil lent him his phone, which was returned, much to our cycnical friends' surprise, and that was that, or so we thought. Unfortunately however, the next time he needed help he came back to us and late one night the bell rang. It seems ridiculous now writing this in the cold light of day to think how unsettled we were, but there is a powerful feeling of unease that's never far from the surface in SA. We live behind high walls with security systems and this fact alone seems to heighten the sense of threat, not reduce it. Everyone has a tale to tell, whether it's thieves stealing plants from under a bedroom window in the middle of the night, as happened to my colleague Erna, or losing the wedding ring from your finger to an armed robber as happened to Lottie's friend's mother. On this particular night, it probably didn't help that our sophisticated video intercom isn't working and so we have to leave the house and go to the gate into the garden to see who's around / let visitors in. Plus the house next door is empty and our garden is potentially vulnerable to entry through their garden. Anyway, I was sufficiently freaked by the whole affair and the man's refusal just to go away that we ended up calling ADT, our security providers, who sent an armed guy round to patrol the area and keep an eye out for a while. All this, and the poor guy probably just needed a bit of help. It doesn't make you feel good about yourself, that's for sure.
Anyway, this is all much too gloomy! I managed to lose the first draft of this post, so am re-writing it sitting in my hotel in Joburg. Only here for tonight for some Audi meetings, then back to CT tomorrow. It's the first time I've been away since we got back from England and as I haven't been too busy until now, Neil and I have been making the most of our time and trying to have at least one day a week off work. The weather has been glorious / verging on the too hot (though I promised not to say that last August when we were sooooo cold). Day after day of 30C plus, and a tinder-box dry landscape, though the evergreen forests and fynbos of the mountains keep the city green. So we've walked up Lion's Head followed by lunch at the Africa Cafe, we've been to Robben Island, had a very long and leisurely brunch at the Cape Grace, having won a voucher at a dinner there last year, and hiked Skeleton Gorge again.
We've also enjoyed the spectacle of two huge events in Cape Town, though they couldn't have been more different from one another. Firstly, the State Opening of Parliament two weeks ago, with Jacob Zuma and politicians from every party arriving in CT accompanied by the most incredible security. My route home from work, travelling away from and at least 5 kms from the city centre, was lined by police cars, tanks, armed guys on every bridge over the highway - really astounding. I got home in record time though! Watching the opening ceremony and Zuma's State of the Nation address was much more entertaining than watching the Queen's Speech. Amazing variety of dress styles, head dresses, tribal regalia and whatnot.
And on Friday U2 hit town for their 360 tour. Sorry, but beyond one or two classic anthems, Neil and I just find them a bit dreary to listen to, so we hadn't even tried to part with R1000 for a ticket. However the concert was at the new Green Point stadium, which is bang next door to Added Value's new offices, and by the time I left work at 6pm that evening the area was absolutely buzzing with street theatre, people spilling out of bars and restaurants and music blaring all the way along the Fan Walk. Almost made me wish we were going along. Instead we went to see The King's Speech, which was stunning, and came home to listen to a live stream of the concert, which was underwhelming. Sure I'm the only person in the whole of SA who thinks this, so I should stop now.
Up at 6am for a call with a client in Wyoming, so I think it's time to sign off now. Sending our love over the seas. xx
