General

A picture from a train window

Train Window
I use to travel by train to work - many years ago - but since our offices moved far closer to home I've taken the car to work each day; and had the pleasure of parking in our building's basement parking garage!

Commuting by car and parking in my company building is a cry from the tiresome rushing to make it to the train on time or the boredom of waiting for it to leave Cape Town station on the way back home in the evening. I'm even more grateful this wintery time of the year when I think of the times that I sat in that drafty train with the ice-cold breeze blowing down my neck and the long walks to and from the train stations. Sometimes, when I get irritated by morning traffic, I think of those days and how much better it is to be sitting in my warm car listening to music. It makes traffic seem a whole lot more bearable.

Incidentally, this photo was taken in the Woodstock area... and the reason why you see so little of the scenery is that some time back Metrorail decreased the size of the windows dramatically to reduce the chance of people exiting the train by unconventional means. And, besides for this, I kinda liked the photo just like this; window an all.

On the Cape Town metrorail

Cape Town Metrorail
What do you say, vandalism or keeping things interesting?

What I noticed about this "LO$ER" sign is that there are two of them, placed almost perfectly on each door of this metrorail train. Isn't it just awesome that the vandal that put them there went to the trouble of neatly aligning them? I can just see the thought running through their mind - hundreds of people jam-packed in the train at rush-hour, with the few standing near the door being made to stare at a sticker calling them losers.

For some reason I find this amusing. :)

Squirrel power – defending the nut

Squirrels on the grass
One of the best things to do on a warm afternoon is to sit outside on the lawn of the Mount Nelson hotel, sipping cooldrink and watching squirrels run to and fro grabbing acorns from the grass and dashing up the large oak trees to hide their treasured possession.

Squirrels, your probably know, hide their nuts in a stash. What you may not be aware of is that since certain acorns contain high levels of bitter tannins, squirrels may at times let the acorns rest for a long while in a place that allows water to filter them, slowly removing the nasty-tasting tannins. Isn't that clever!?

Marine Protected Areas

The Andromeda
The Andromeda is a commercial fishing vessel, moored in a slightly unusual spot, close to the aquarium. My guess is that fish are scarce and the crew have taken to visiting the aquarium to fill their quota. But, that's only a guess.

South Africa has a fairly long coastline of 2798km, so isn't it astounding that about 20% of our coastal areas have been declared MPAs (Marine Protected Areas) - stretches of cost where commercial fishing has been banned?

One day, but not right now, I'll go to the effort of tracing all the areas on a proper map, but for now, here's a link to a page on our government's Marine and Coastal Management website - it contains a terribly-formatted list of all areas marked as MPAs. Sorry. :)

Oystercatcher Way

Oystercatcher Way
Oystercatchers are birds that (to me) look much like a cross between a sea gull and a turtle dove. They're generally completely black, or black on top and white underneath - a little like a camouflaged combat aircraft!

This particular path is a long, narrow, winding set of stairs that lead down to Cape Town's trendy Clifton 4th beach... a buzz of a place in summer but on this clear-yet-cool autumn day, practically deserted.

After descending the many steps to the clean white sand, I decided to leave my shoes in a particular spot in order to collect them on my return. Unfortunately, on my return, they had mysteriously grown legs and walked off. I first though that someone had stolen them, but then later realised that since I'd wandered out of sight, it's completely plausible that someone in need of shoes found them and assumed that the owner had abandoned them... the beach was after all pretty deserted!

I needed new shoes anyway. :)

Jet ski ban around Cape Town?

Jet Ski
I've read in a few places that the use of jet skis around the Cape Peninsula has been banned. One source mentioned that they're not allowed to be used for commercial purposes and I'm now unsure if the ban is only on commercial usage since I recently saw this jet ski in Table Bay.

Do you perhaps know more about this? Please leave a comment if you do!

The Radisson and Granger Bay

Granger bay
Just to the left of where I took this photo is the five-star Radisson Blu hotel. One of the nicest things to do this time of the year is to absorb the suns warmth while sipping tea (or cocktails if your taste prefers) and eating cake at Tobago's Bar and Terrace.

While visiting, be sure to take a walk along the breakwater (to the left of the photo) - and, when you're tempted to step out onto them, be extra careful not to slip and fall down between the dolose. I did so once - it sure was painful - I shall not repeat the incident.

Flower among the needles

Flower among the needles
I took this photo close to the where I shot yesterday's one - on the slopes of Lion's Head.

Often in life we come across unlikely victories, or turns of fortune, where even though the odds are stacked so greatly against a particular outcome the unlikely scenario prevails - much like this flower springing up from under a thick bed of pine needles, amidst the dark shade of a giant trees.

This happened at least once in our history - in 1994, and on 18 May we again take to the polls to make a mark in our municipal elections. Wish us well. :)

Aluminum cans, wood, and paint

African Art
Isn't it awesome what can be done with a piece of chipboard, old aluminum cans, and a little bit of paint? If I understand it correctly, these pieces are mostly made by Zimbabwean immigrants and refugees who struggle to make a living in our country while paperwork takes it's course through our government's systems.

Even when the paperwork is completed, and even though many are highly educated, they struggle to find full-time work and are forced to continue making a living by selling artworks like these, watching over parked cars for tips, and by doing other menial jobs ill-fit for their education.

If you'd like to purchase one of these items, I always see the guys selling them at the turnoff to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on the M3. They're not expensive, so unless you don't have the money, rather pay full price and smile. :)

The Cape Quarter

The Cape Quarter

This is one of the entrances to the Cape Quarter. If you're visiting, or new to the area, you may be confused if you're unable to find this entrance, or the friends who promised to meet you. If this happens, the reason could be pretty simple - there are essentially two areas (separated by a narrow road called Dixon Street) that make up The Cape Quarter.

This photo was taken at The Piazza, the open-air square (map), and if you can't find your friends, it's probably because you went to The Square (which, by the way, has fairly cheap underground parking).

As a tip - the Piazza is definitely a place to visit when here on holiday; and if you're in the mood for some great, and affordable sushi - visit Aqua Restaurant, they have half-price sushi from 12pm to 5pm! :)

White Lions – a tragedy

Female White Lion
We visited the Cape Town Lion Park, "Home of the White Lion", and left feeling a fair bit depressed. While clean and well fed, the lions are kept in sterile-like enclosures with little shade and little to keep them distracted from the blandness of the environment in which they find themselves.

We paid our R70 entrance fee and walked the short distance to the enclosures to see the lions. Our visit lasted about 30 minutes, and the above aside, I can't say that it was worth the entrance fee - and can safely say that we won't feel the need to visit again.

Just to clarify, I fully support rehabilitation and conservation projects - even those that preserve animals who could never be reintroduced into the wild. However, I found no information on Cape Town Lion Park's website, besides for a reference to "education" to indicate that they were involved in conservation.

Fallow Deer

Fallow Deer

We found this dominant male buck and his small harem :) of Fallow Deer alongside the R310, heading out of Stellenbosch to the Spier estate. I use the word "harem" in jest, but in reality the reference is pretty much spot on as there's one dominant male buck that has fought for the right to mate with the females on the herd.

Although we spotted at least two males in the herd, the chance is great that only one of them will mate with the females. I believe it's a way of ensuring that the strongest survive and reproduce.

Do you know much about Fallow Deer, and exactly how one buck fights for dominance, and what happens when that male get's too old and is replaced by a younger, stronger, buck? Please leave a comment on this post!

Scary brown cows

Scary brown cow
I spent a long while, to no avail, trying to figure out what breed of cattle these are. Do you perhaps know? I though they were Jersey cows... but Jerseys appear to be a little lighter in colour, and these seem just a little fluffy, don't they?

As I approached the small herd, the big cow, and her wingman (wingwoman?) to the right of the photo, turned to stare me down. They sure do look mean, don't they? I was suddenly awfully glad that I was standing on the opposite side of the fence.

Tulips in May

Tulips!
I bought a bunch of Tulips from Woolworths for Kerry-Anne. While photographing them bathed in morning light I realised that taking photos of flowers, perhaps Tulips in particular, is as fulfilling much like photographing beautiful woman - light catches their contours in the most beautiful way.

Tulips are perennial bulbs, which means that they flower each year. Although often associated with the Netherlands, according to gardeningeden.co.za, they originate from the Turkish Himalayas.

Even though there are many varieties of tulips, due to our warmish winters and short spring it's only really the Darwin Hybrid that's easy to grow in South Africa. Visit gardeningeden.co.za for information on where and when to plant tulips and how to make sure they survive our slightly-tulip-hostile weather.

Even though I liked the main photo most, I thought that you may appreciate a few more photos of these lovely flowers. Click on the thumbnails below to see the the photos.

The sun sets on summer : 6#6

The sun sets on summer
Isn't this scene just idyllic? Imagine sitting on the deck of a yacht, sipping a cocktail, and listening to the gentle lapping of the calm Atlantic ocean against the side of the boat. At times like these it's difficult to understand why the Cape was called the Cape of Storms.

If you missed the previous 5 photos in this series, click here to jump to the beginning. :)

The sun sets on summer : 3#6

Sun sets on summer (and a pirate boat)
The boat that you see in the distance is the Jolly Roger - the pirate ship that parents sometimes hire out for kiddie parties.

Wouldn't it be awesome to hire the boat for an adult pirate party - at around this time of day?

In case you missed my previous post, I'm publishing a few photos of the sun setting on what could have been the last warm day until summer arrives at the end of the year. See the previous photo in the series here.

Cranes in the mist

Cranes in the mist
There's something beautiful and yet sad about harbour cranes on a quiet rainy day or in the mist, don't you think? They look so lonely and bored - as though they're just longing to pick up those long straight legs and give them a good-old stretch and perhaps take a walk to the end of the pier. They remind me of the giant walking trees, the Ent, from J.R.R. Tolken's Lord of the Rings.

Silly, this thought, isn't it? :)

Largest antelope in Africa

Eeland
Sticking more or less to the same theme as my previous post - this one shows a photo of Africa's largest antelope, the eland.

Male elands can grow to a mass of about 900kg whereas females generally don't exceed 600kg (probably because they watch what they eat and go to gym more often). What I find amazing about the eland is that even though they weigh so much, from a standing position they're able to jump about 2.5 meters into the air! I guess that shows how muscular those legs and thighs are!

Even though the Wikipedia article mentions that some South African farmers have switched from cattle to eland (due to eland being more hardy) I can't say that I've ever seen eland meat in the butchery or on a restaurant menu. Have you?

An ostrich family

An ostrich family

Click on the photo to see the large version - isn't the baby ostrich cute? :)

Ostriches are native to Africa and are (as I guess many of you will know) the largest bird in the world. At a hefty mass of around 120kg, and with proportionally tiny wings, it's no wonder that ostriches don't fly. What I found surprising however was that a bird of that mass is able to run at approximately 70kph! Not bad going hey!?

If you do visit South Africa, you may come across ostrich fillet steak on our restaurant menus, or in our supermarkets. The meat looks a lot like beef steak; only darker in colour and with no visible fat. In fact, it's an extremely healthy alternative to beef steak since it tastes a lot like beef but contains very little fat or cholesterol.

Zebras and zonkeys

Zebras
A zonkey is a cross between a zebra and a donkey... really, I'm not kidding. Okay, sometimes they're called a zebonkey, zebronkey, zebrinny, zebrula, zebrass, zedonk, or zeedonk. The equines in the photo of run-of-the-mill zebras that we found at the Vredenheim Wine Estate on the R310, close to the well-known Spier estate.

Click on the images below to see more zebra pics.

The mafiosa

Penguins
I've always thought there was something sinister about penguins. Perhaps it's the way they just stand there - or how when they move they waddle. Perhaps it's that dead pan poker-face. They're very creepy.

I took this photo at the African Trading Port at the V&A Waterfront.

African Trading Port at the V&A Waterfront

African Curios
I'd never been into African Trading Port at the V&A Waterfront simply because living here we see so much African art that one tends to become a little jaded. On this visit to the V&A Waterfront we wandered inside and to be honest I was surprised at the wide variety of items that the shop had on offer.

Today's photo is of one of many containers absolutely filled with small statues of African animals carved from soapstone. Even though the store is located in a prime tourist area, these carvings cost only R10 each - which to me seemed like a fair bargain. (I can't say much for the price of the other items - I never really looked at prices.)

Even if you're not intending on buying anything, you should visit the shop just to see the huge variety of items sourced from all over Africa. You'll find African Trading Port located close to Den Anker and the NSRI slipway at the V&A Waterfront.

Birdie nom nom

Birdie nom nom
This sign is located right outside the fast-food outlets at the V&A Waterfront. Due to the high concentration of seagulls, and to make the sign a little more accurate, I would have added "For your own safety..." to the front of the plea.

Do you remember the book or (as I do) the movie The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock? Do you think it's a co-incidence that this is called the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront? Neither do I. Don't feed the birds people! :D

Aqua Restaurant at the Cape Quarter

Aqua Restaurant at the Cape Quarter
Aqua Restaurant at the popular Cape Quarter in De Waterkant use to be known as Tank - remember beautiful Tank? Well, the new owners have spiced things up a little and seem to have expanded the place quite considerably. The best place to sit is outside, in the square, but unfortunately by the time we booked all the outside spots had been snapped up by those smarter than I.

Nevertheless, the experience was pretty good - the staff were friendly and smart, and the seafood platter was pretty darn yummy. The particular sushi dish that we ordered (smoked salmon and creame cheese) was unfortunately a fair to moderate disaster, so much so that we left some of it behind (can you believe!?). Kerry-Anne's heard that the other sushi is pretty good, so perhaps we just chose something out of our taste-range... and to be fair, who orders sushi with smoked salmon!? :) )

All in all, I'd visit Aqua again, although I'd be smarter next time and book a table outside. For details I'd point you to their website, but to be honest it's as much a disaster as the sushi was, so for more information, a map, and a few photos visit their page on Dining-Out.

The dog of the ocean – the Cape Fur Seal

Cape Fur Seal
Sightings and interactions with the Cape Fur Seal (also know as the Brown Fur Seal) is extremely common around our coast - specifically in harbours, and on remote rocky beaches or islands.

Each time that I see a seal up close I'm again amazed at how their looks and mannerisms resemble that of man's best friend - perhaps it's the brown-grey fur, or how they roll around in the sea, or perhaps the whiskers and pointy snout. Whatever it is, aren't they just awesome?

South Africa banned the hunting of seals 21 years ago, but one of our close neighbours, Namibia, still allows these seals to be hunted and clubbed to death. The slain seal cub's fur is sold exclusively to a (much hated) man by the name of Hatem Yavuz, who in turn sells the fur to the fashion industry.

Doesn't that just suck? :-(

A Ford Fairlane and the old Immorality Act

Ford Fairlane
The sign on this Ford Fairlane (which can be found at Evita se Perron) reads:


"This Ford Fairlane once belonged to Mrs Evita Bezuidenhout's husband, Oom Hasie. In 1958, Dr J.J. de V. Bezuidenhout became a cabinet minister in the government of Hendrik Verwoerd. He held two portfolios: Minister of Water Affairs and Minister of Black Housing - and combined his portfolios into one by building a black township in a dam.

The two bullet holes in the front window are a reminder of the failed assassination attempt on his life at The Wolwekloof turn-off along the Warmbad road in 1959.

Dr Bezuidenhout was arrested in 1960 for breaking the Immorality Act. He was found on the backseat of this car in a compromising position with a Swazi waitress from the Laagerfontein Grand Hotel. After interventions by his wife and her powerful friends in the National Party, all charges against Minister Bezuidenhout were dropped. The woman disappeared."

Unfortunately the old Immorality Act wasn't enforced because the cabinet Minister was married - it wasn't that kind of morality that the government concerned themselves with. Isn't it weird now to think that there was once legislation that prohibited inter-racial romantic relationships?

Life guards at Big Bay

Life Guards at Big Bay
The guys in the boat are presumably from the Big Bay Life Saving Club, located about 100m to the left of where I took this photo (close to all the restaurants at Eden on the Bay). I presumed that they may have been warning the surfers of some unseen danger - perhaps a shark. The only confusing part was that the surfers looked far too calm - leading me to wonder exactly what the life savers were doing!

While visiting their website I came across an interesting article on rip currents, how they work, how to identify them, and (more importantly) how to escape them. I've always heard that in the event of being caught in a rip current that you shouldn't try to fight against it, but rather swim along the shore until you escape it. Read the article, take a look at the pictures, and familiarise yourself with the technique - it could save your life. :)

Past South African flags

Past South African flags
I found this old mat (sans the artistically-edited-in new South African flag :D ) at Evita se Perron, a popular political history museum of sorts in the tiny town of Darling (a little way up our West Coast).

South Africa's current flag, besides for being unique in that it has 6 colours (in the main design), carries a fair amount of symbolism - surprisingly more than one may realise. Visit the Southern African Vexillological Association's site for an interesting overview on the meaning behind each colour and the general flag design.

If you're very into flags, then also take a look at this poster (which it looks like the vexillological association sells for a small fee). It gives a fairly comprehensive view on the various flags flown over our country in our colourful past.

In case you're wondering, the Afrikaans sentence "Vanaf die geboorte van 'n nasie tot 'n onafhanglike republiek" means "From the birth of a nation to an independent republic" in English.

An old South African political poster

An old South African political poster
This old political poster was created by a political party called the Herstigte Nasionale Party (Reestablished National Party). The HNP is one of the minority parties who still believe in racial segregation. Essentially, that's more or less what this poster tries to convey - Bly Blank My Volk means Stay White My People and tries to convey the message that the Afrikaner people should remain segregated; white; and Afrikaans-speaking.

Essentially, their intent is to protect the interests of the "old" Afrikaner nation. I think that their fear is that because Africa is a continent with a huge black majority that their identity as a people is at risk... which I guess is a fair concern.

Whether or not you and I subscribe to the ideals of the HNP isn't really relevant to me - what I find it interesting that a people feel the need to protect their identity with such fervour. It's not really something that I'm able to identify with.