I get to travel a bit every year and forget that not every one uses the same words we do here.
Our English is peppered with words from other local languages. A flying insect is a gogo (pronounced with a gutteral g); a walking insect is a nunu and a centipede is a shongalolo. Eina means ouch.
But we also use terms that don’t make sense to others. Just now actually means not now. So if someone is meeting you just now. Find out exactly when or you could end up waiting a while.
Local boys have a hand shake that would make free masons envious. It’s a combo of twists and turns. I can’t remember them but certainly interesting to watch. The greeting process can become quite protracted and flamboyant.
One other thing. If you happen to be standing on the side of the road. And you happen to point up. A local taxi will break the land speed record and in a blur of shrieking tyres and cars almost crashing, swing open their doors, while moving, to give you a lift. That is how we summon a mini bus taxi here. And as said in previous posts, our local taxis are “one more busses”. Always room for one more.
Travelling with children? Here are some ideas to keep kids amused in Cape Town.
Starting at The Waterfront you can take a boat trip to go whale, seal and dolphin spotting. If you out of luck you can always head to the Two Oceans Aquarium which has 88 species on display including predators.
A day drive out to Cape Point along False Bay will give kids a chance to see penguins on Boulders beach and the baboons along the way. Coming back along the Atlantic Coast, take in The World of Birds in Hout Bay.
At Canal Walk is the MTN Science Centre which has over 300 interactive displays. That should keep them busy for a while. If they are still bouncing, then next door is Ratanga Junction which has scary rides for the braver children. (Check when they are open)
A visit to The Company Gardens gives children a chance to feed the squirrels and to visit the Natural History Museum close by. It showcases fossils and skeletons and gives the story of evolution. There is also the Holocaust Museum in the vicinity allows much older children to understand how racism can be a destructive force.
The Spur chain of steakhouses have supervised play areas at most of their branches. Kids can play computer games or jump on a bouncing castle. Birthday kids get a special sparkler with their meal and the staff come to the table to sing to the birthday child.
The co-ordinates for Cape Town are 33.9 Latitude and 18.43 Longitude. South Africa is + 2 hours GMT. We don’t have time zones or daylight saving.
The sunrise and sunset times here vary by about two hours from winter to summer. Sunset in summer is around 20.00 pm and in winter it’s around 18.00 pm.
Buenos Aries and Sydney are two large cities that are about the same latitude as us. Stockholm and Budapest are two cities that are at a similar longitude as us. Since we are in the southern hemisphere we are heading toward the middle of winter. But our winters are mild relative to some parts of the world. We have a Mediterranean climate and a cold day here is about 10’C.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
Three weeks ago I was wondering if we would ever get rain. Today I am wondering if it will ever stop raining.
Winters here in Cape Town start late and can be seriously damp. We live in the Cape of Storms and every year we have a couple of hectic gales that lash and bash our city. In the picture is an old building and I recall a few years back coming up the road to find the roof in the middle of the road.
Luckily we never get the very worst of it as Green Point is somewhat sheltered by the mountain. When it blows on the foreshore trucks are felled and ladies skirts blow up around their ears. The foreshore is a 2 km strip of reclaimed land. The original city stopped at the castle but between 1930 and 1940 they created the harbour and area where the convention centre now stands.
Here are some foods you should consider trying while in South Africa. First up is a Pepperdew. It’s a tomato come chilli hybrid that we eat on pizza, in salads or mixed into a dip. It has a slight bite from the chilli mixed with the sweetness of tomatoes.
Other foods to try if you get the chance are a Potjie (little pot) which is a whole meal slow cooked in a cast iron pot on a fire. Maybe consider ostrich meat which is very low in fat? Try it as a steak or sausage.
Rusks are a sort of not too sweet, chunky biscuit that we dunk in tea and eat soggy. It’s not rude to do that here and it tastes a lot nicer that it sounds.
We call a barbecue a braai. A braai is a weekend institution and most weekends on a sunny day the aroma of meat on a fire pervades the suburbs.
A bredie is a stew and we have one called Waterblommetjie Bredie. Little waterflower stew. They taste much like green beans.
You could also try pap or umngqusho and gravy. I can’t pronounce umngqusho, it’s full of clicks in Xhosa. Just say nush and people will understand you. Pap is usually served crumbly and similar to polenta. Umsgqusho is a sticky bean and corn side dish that we eat as others do mash potato. I buy it ready-made in a can at the local supermarket. Happy tasting!
