Chapter 1 - Johannseburg
The girls finished their first term at school on Friday, April 3rd and on Sunday, we took off north bound for a long awaited trip to Johannesburg and beyond.
With memories of travelling over the hectic Christmas holiday and it now being the Easter school break, we made sure to arrive at the airport early. Boy, were we in for a surprise! When we reached the Kulula airline queue, we were quickly escorted to an available check-in station. Within seconds, the attendant announced that the airline was moving us to an earlier flight on a sister airline with an upgrade to business class! Pollack Family, ”Happy Easter” or rather “Happy Passover”! We ran to the gate, and before we knew it, we were on the plane, stretching out our legs in the big leather seats. “Wish this could happen on our 16 hour flight back home,” whispered Maya. She had voiced what we were all thinking as we snacked on a lovely shrimp and arugula salad served on china plates!
When we were planning this trip back in September, we decided to spend most of our week exploring nature and the bush. We were devoting less than 24 hours to Joburg and as we flew in, I felt some regret in not having more time. But it’s been a year of choices, knowing we can’t see it all this time around.
Joburg is a pleasant 2 hour plane ride from Cape Town, yet another world away from the Mother City. We left the rugged coastline of the Cape Peninsula for the grassy Highveld plateau. The city’s modern history sprung from the gold rush which transformed this deserted heartland in to the largest financial, commercial and industrial center in South Africa.
We stayed the night in Joburg with Rob, an old friend of Seth’s from the Peace Corp days. He lives in the city with his lovely (American) wife (also a RPCV) and 2 very sweet young daughters. We had such a wonderful time visiting with them all. They were such gracious hosts and we loved hearing about their lives in South Africa.
Despite our short stay, Rob was able to grant my big wish and took us to the Apartheid Museum for a few hours. It was everything I had heard about… thoughtful, engaging, and incredibly moving! A five star museum!
Chapter 2 – Blyde River Canyon
We left the big city early on Monday morning – and drove against morning traffic (big yeh!), northeast into Mpumalanga Province, ‘the place of the rising sun’. Our day’s destination was Blyde River Canyon. On the way, we passed through small mining towns as well as the largest manmade forest in the world! Neatly planted rows of non-native pines and eucalyptus seemed to go on forever!
Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon and Fish River Canyon in Namibia. However, it is the largest “green” canyon with thick vegetation growing along its winding walls. There is a number of stunning view points from the top, one of them aptly named “God’s Window”! We stayed at a sleepy self-catering lodge, on the edge of the Nature Reserve with a few hiking trails in to the Canyon. We discovered that Alex was the only one of the family not afraid to dangle her legs over the edge of the canyon while the 3 of us backed away feeling all too nauseous! On our day’s walk in to the canyon on Guinea Fowl Trail, Seth took a swim under some beautiful waterfalls; we saw majestic aloes species, tiny zebra millipedes, and a family of mischievous monkeys.
It always takes a moment for us to relax in to the zen of the family adventure. Our stay at Blyde River Canyon, with all its beauty and quiet, moved us further in to family harmony, and we were ready to head off to our next and long awaited destination… Kruger Park!
Chapter 3 – Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park (KNP) is the king of game parks in South Africa. Its size compares to places like Israel or Wales, and over 1 million visitors a year come to see the great variety of wildlife including the infamous BIG 5 (rhino, elephant, lion, leopard and buffalo). Over its 100 year history, a system of roads and rest camps has been thoughtfully developed to make the park very user friendly. However, only 5% of the park is affected by the tourists’ activities.
Fortunately, back in September, we heard about the hidden jewel of Kruger Park, the Wilderness Trails. Instead of limited viewing of the animals from a vehicle (which you MUST remain in at all times while on the roads), on the Wilderness Trails, you are freed from your mobile cage and actually walk through the bush, accompanied by 2 armed rangers. You stay at one of the 7 Wilderness Trails camp sites which accommodate a maximum of 8 people. None of the camps have electricity, you sleep in 2-person rustic huts, and all cell phones, ipods, etc. are left behind. We knew that was our ticket in to the Park.
Seven months later, there we were, meeting our 4 other fellow campers, 2 guides and 1 chef. We loaded the little trailer with supplies, 2 guns, our clothes, and said farewell to our cellular connections for 3 whole days. Seth and I couldn’t be happier; the girls on the other hand…
We were delighted to quickly learn that our guides, Andre and Bentu, were both very experienced rangers. Bentu had been a ranger at our Wilderness Trails site for 33 years while Andre was 3rd generation ranger in his family. They were both incredibly knowledgeable, kind and loved to laugh!
The daily routines were simple…woke at 5 a.m., had a quick cup of tea and biscuit and started our morning walk by sunrise. A few hours later, on a well situated look-out rock, we stopped for a mid-morning snack, and returned to camp by 11 for a warm and tasty brunch. After siesta and tea, we were back in the bush for the late afternoon and returned by dark for dinner. It was simply perfect!
The Wilderness Trails walks had a few of its own rules: walk in single file, no talking, snap-and-clap if you see something and don’t hesitate to ask lots of questions. And that’s what we did… we walked… and walked through tall grass, over rocky trails. We looked and listened. We were naturally awed by the big mammals, but it was the smaller, less conspicuous sightings that grew our excitement. We cheered at the fish eagles and red billed hornbills. We were amazed by the zig zag spiders, and wooly worms, and squirmed as the baby puff adder passed by. We learned about the life of the rhino beetle and how the flying ants make their nests. And of course, we studied the poop – all sizes and shapes and consistencies! Who was here last night? An hour ago? We wondered about the creators of the ancient cliff paintings and were awaken from our sleep by the roaring lions. We had sundowners while watching the hippos snort and the waterbucks graze, then turned around and caught the black headed heron in flight against the full moon rising.
The days passed all too quickly, but the memories will last a long time to come!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Monday, November 24, 2008
A day in the field with Ernst
Last week Ernst, my botanist friend from Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens invited me to join him and 4 others on a day long field trip south east of Cape Town. Ernst is currently working on 3 books, one of which is about the aloes of South Africa and Namibia. Just in case you were wondering, there have been 26 newly named aloes since the last book which was written about 40 years ago. Today’s expedition was to get cuttings of one of those recently identified aloes and to document a few others in the field for the book. I confess, I’ve been an aloe groupie since the 80’s and I was thrilled to tag along!
Our first destination was a private fynbos nature reserve simply named Farm 215. This property of about 2000 acres was purchased 10 years ago by a passionate conservationist who is working hard to eliminate the invasive “alien” plants from the farming days of long ago while encouraging the native fynbos to reclaim the area. It’s a slow process, but he is making progress, and amidst the transition, he’s finding some real jewels. Ernst has recently confirmed that one of these finds on Farm 215 is indeed a “new” aloe species. Ernst has named it Aloe juddii after a well known botanical illustrator from South Africa. As we climbed up a rocky hillside, we were all a little giddy to find this inconspicuous plant thriving in its small but protected habitat. And as if on cue, we began photographing the newest star on the block! The plant paparazzis had arrived!
Only a few days prior to our little excursion, a freak spring storm had ravaged this area of the Western Cape, flooding towns and thousands of acres of farm land. The damage has been estimated to be nearly 10 billion dollars! As we drove through the countryside, we saw firsthand the devastation. No sooner had we realized the severity of the flooding, we were literally stopped in our tracks by submerged roads. At each flooded point, and there must have been about six on our route, we would stop the van, try to get a sense of how much water was covering the section of road, we’d all take a deep breath, and then Ernst would put the car in first gear and off we’d drive… into the water!
During this day of driving through rivers and photographing aloes in the wild, we took a little side trip and headed to Cape Agulhas, the true southernmost tip in Africa! It’s also the official point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans “meet”. Aside from an impressive 160 year old light house and a few worn interpretive signs, there’s nothing much to distract your thoughts as you look out to sea from the edge of this great continent. The rocky shores are treacherous, the rogue waves can reach 90 feet, the wind blows with a mighty force, and if you look hard enough, you might just see Vasco De Gama out there in the distant!
Our first destination was a private fynbos nature reserve simply named Farm 215. This property of about 2000 acres was purchased 10 years ago by a passionate conservationist who is working hard to eliminate the invasive “alien” plants from the farming days of long ago while encouraging the native fynbos to reclaim the area. It’s a slow process, but he is making progress, and amidst the transition, he’s finding some real jewels. Ernst has recently confirmed that one of these finds on Farm 215 is indeed a “new” aloe species. Ernst has named it Aloe juddii after a well known botanical illustrator from South Africa. As we climbed up a rocky hillside, we were all a little giddy to find this inconspicuous plant thriving in its small but protected habitat. And as if on cue, we began photographing the newest star on the block! The plant paparazzis had arrived!
Only a few days prior to our little excursion, a freak spring storm had ravaged this area of the Western Cape, flooding towns and thousands of acres of farm land. The damage has been estimated to be nearly 10 billion dollars! As we drove through the countryside, we saw firsthand the devastation. No sooner had we realized the severity of the flooding, we were literally stopped in our tracks by submerged roads. At each flooded point, and there must have been about six on our route, we would stop the van, try to get a sense of how much water was covering the section of road, we’d all take a deep breath, and then Ernst would put the car in first gear and off we’d drive… into the water!
During this day of driving through rivers and photographing aloes in the wild, we took a little side trip and headed to Cape Agulhas, the true southernmost tip in Africa! It’s also the official point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans “meet”. Aside from an impressive 160 year old light house and a few worn interpretive signs, there’s nothing much to distract your thoughts as you look out to sea from the edge of this great continent. The rocky shores are treacherous, the rogue waves can reach 90 feet, the wind blows with a mighty force, and if you look hard enough, you might just see Vasco De Gama out there in the distant!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The Alarm
Like many homes in South Africa, we have an alarm. We set the alarm when we leave the house and every night before we go to bed (as instructed by landlord and friends). The night time setting allows us to move freely in the bedroom and kitchen areas.
The multi-step setting of the alarm is nearly second nature by now. There is a control panel by the back door as well as in the master bedroom. I often wake in the middle of the night, reassured by the panel’s red lights across the room. I used to have nightmares about the alarm going off while we were home, but I don’t anymore. Maybe I’m somehow adjusting to this part of life here or maybe I’ve shoved it so far back in my consciousness that it barely registers anymore.
In any case, as the test of time would have it, the alarm went off the other morning at 4:45!
When I realized what was happening, I shook Seth. He jumped out of bed and scrambled for his glasses. I grabbed mine and we ran to the panel and stood there trying to focus on what zones that had been breached. After what seemed like too long, Seth turned off the alarm.
In the broken silence of the early morning, we looked at each other. What the hell do we do next?? We knew the alarm company would be calling any minute to see if everything was o.k. We had to answer the phone, but the phone was down the hall, in the kitchen. sh**! We turned on lights and no sooner had we entered the kitchen, the phone rang. We gave the alarm company our secret password and then they asked us if everything was alright.
”We’re not sure!”
Did we want the guard to come and check things out?
I hesitated for a mere second, “Yes! Please!” trying not to sound too desperate.
While we waited for the guard, we poked around the house…cautiously checking doors and windows. No unusual signs. The guard arrived; he walked the perimeter with a flashlight and calmly reported back that the coast was clear. False alarm.
“Guess so” we agreed.
He drove away. We walked back inside the house, not sure of what to think or feel. We checked on the girls – they were still sleeping - quite peacefully. It was 5:30 – only half an hour until we had to get up and start the day. Without discussion, we walked back into the bedroom, reset the alarm and crawled back in bed for another 30 minutes of sleep! The journey continues…
The multi-step setting of the alarm is nearly second nature by now. There is a control panel by the back door as well as in the master bedroom. I often wake in the middle of the night, reassured by the panel’s red lights across the room. I used to have nightmares about the alarm going off while we were home, but I don’t anymore. Maybe I’m somehow adjusting to this part of life here or maybe I’ve shoved it so far back in my consciousness that it barely registers anymore.
In any case, as the test of time would have it, the alarm went off the other morning at 4:45!
When I realized what was happening, I shook Seth. He jumped out of bed and scrambled for his glasses. I grabbed mine and we ran to the panel and stood there trying to focus on what zones that had been breached. After what seemed like too long, Seth turned off the alarm.
In the broken silence of the early morning, we looked at each other. What the hell do we do next?? We knew the alarm company would be calling any minute to see if everything was o.k. We had to answer the phone, but the phone was down the hall, in the kitchen. sh**! We turned on lights and no sooner had we entered the kitchen, the phone rang. We gave the alarm company our secret password and then they asked us if everything was alright.
”We’re not sure!”
Did we want the guard to come and check things out?
I hesitated for a mere second, “Yes! Please!” trying not to sound too desperate.
While we waited for the guard, we poked around the house…cautiously checking doors and windows. No unusual signs. The guard arrived; he walked the perimeter with a flashlight and calmly reported back that the coast was clear. False alarm.
“Guess so” we agreed.
He drove away. We walked back inside the house, not sure of what to think or feel. We checked on the girls – they were still sleeping - quite peacefully. It was 5:30 – only half an hour until we had to get up and start the day. Without discussion, we walked back into the bedroom, reset the alarm and crawled back in bed for another 30 minutes of sleep! The journey continues…
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Monkey Gland Sauce
The girls had a break from school last week. Since mid-August, Seth and I had been planning for this chance to see more of the country. We spent many nights looking at maps and combing through our guide books, and ultimately, threw a little caution to the wind. We were off in search of elephants in the Eastern Cape!
I won't write a full recap of our week's adventures as Seth has done a great job describing the highlights of our trip and posting pictures on his blog site. Needless to say, we did find the African elephants and they quickly managed to make their way in to our hearts. Watching them move freely and peacefully in the park was absolutely awesome! Sharing Rosh Hashonah with them was a special blessing that we will carry with us for a long time to come.
During one of our elephant park days, in between our morning and sundowner game drives, we drove to another section of The Greater Addo Elephant National Park. Our little "safari" putt-putt took to the gravel roads like any wanna-be Land Rover (!) and UP we went... winding our way in the Suurberg Mountains. When we got to the summit, we saw blackened, scorched ridges that were burned from a lightening fire back in August. Seth and Alex took a horse back ride along the charred trails. Although the area is just beginning to sprout some green, they did see a herd of red hardabeasts. And on a walk in the area, a Cape cobra crossed Seth's path! The first Pollack snake sighting in South Africa!
The last leg of the trip took us from the very scenic "Garden Route" coastal region back towards the Western Cape. We turned off the national highway near Swellendam and drove north west through the Breede River Valley and its stunning winelands and orchards. We decided to make a few quick stops at a couple of wine farms before they all closed at 5pm. At the second stop, the hostess asked us where we were headed. "Worcester", we replied. She let out a quiet chuckle and said "I've never heard of anyone saying they were spending the night in Worcester!" We smiled (awkwardly) and off we went to find Worcester.
We arrived in Worcester an hour later. Not much to say about this small farming town that was settled in the early 1800's. It's quite pleasant, just not a popular tourist stop. The owner of the lodge suggested he make us dinner reservations at a nearby restaurant. We walked there at 7 pm to find just a few tables taken. Twenty minutes later, the restaurant was packed with mostly local Afrikaner families. It was a bustling Friday night. American country music was playing and the smoking section at the front of the restaurant was going strong. As we looked at the traditional Afrikaner mostly-meat menu, we noticed monkey gland sauce on the list of side sauces. Although we had seen monkey gland sauce many times on restaurant menus, we had never had the courage to order it. Maybe it was the lively spirit of the night that inspired us to inquire. "Is it really made from monkey glands?" we gently asked the waitress, trying not to sound too foreign and freaked out! She nodded her head and smiled, and returned with a sample which Seth and I bravely tasted. The girls would have nothing to do with it! The sauce tasted surprisingly benign, like A-1 steak sauce. We stopped at the sample.
The very next day, while sitting with our South African friends, we learned the true origin of monkey gland sauce. In fact, no monkeys are harmed to make the sauce. There's no trace of any one's glands. One rumor has it that back in the 50's, some visiting French chefs in Johannesburg created this concoction for their Afrikaner guests to use on their steaks. The name stuck and since then, there have been numerous variations on the popular theme. The basic ingredients include: fruit chutney, red wine, port, ketchup, curry powder, Tabasco, Worcester sauce, pepper, mustard powder, garlic, onion, chilies, brown sugar and vinegar.
Two points for the waitress in Worcester!
I won't write a full recap of our week's adventures as Seth has done a great job describing the highlights of our trip and posting pictures on his blog site. Needless to say, we did find the African elephants and they quickly managed to make their way in to our hearts. Watching them move freely and peacefully in the park was absolutely awesome! Sharing Rosh Hashonah with them was a special blessing that we will carry with us for a long time to come.
During one of our elephant park days, in between our morning and sundowner game drives, we drove to another section of The Greater Addo Elephant National Park. Our little "safari" putt-putt took to the gravel roads like any wanna-be Land Rover (!) and UP we went... winding our way in the Suurberg Mountains. When we got to the summit, we saw blackened, scorched ridges that were burned from a lightening fire back in August. Seth and Alex took a horse back ride along the charred trails. Although the area is just beginning to sprout some green, they did see a herd of red hardabeasts. And on a walk in the area, a Cape cobra crossed Seth's path! The first Pollack snake sighting in South Africa!
The last leg of the trip took us from the very scenic "Garden Route" coastal region back towards the Western Cape. We turned off the national highway near Swellendam and drove north west through the Breede River Valley and its stunning winelands and orchards. We decided to make a few quick stops at a couple of wine farms before they all closed at 5pm. At the second stop, the hostess asked us where we were headed. "Worcester", we replied. She let out a quiet chuckle and said "I've never heard of anyone saying they were spending the night in Worcester!" We smiled (awkwardly) and off we went to find Worcester.
We arrived in Worcester an hour later. Not much to say about this small farming town that was settled in the early 1800's. It's quite pleasant, just not a popular tourist stop. The owner of the lodge suggested he make us dinner reservations at a nearby restaurant. We walked there at 7 pm to find just a few tables taken. Twenty minutes later, the restaurant was packed with mostly local Afrikaner families. It was a bustling Friday night. American country music was playing and the smoking section at the front of the restaurant was going strong. As we looked at the traditional Afrikaner mostly-meat menu, we noticed monkey gland sauce on the list of side sauces. Although we had seen monkey gland sauce many times on restaurant menus, we had never had the courage to order it. Maybe it was the lively spirit of the night that inspired us to inquire. "Is it really made from monkey glands?" we gently asked the waitress, trying not to sound too foreign and freaked out! She nodded her head and smiled, and returned with a sample which Seth and I bravely tasted. The girls would have nothing to do with it! The sauce tasted surprisingly benign, like A-1 steak sauce. We stopped at the sample.
The very next day, while sitting with our South African friends, we learned the true origin of monkey gland sauce. In fact, no monkeys are harmed to make the sauce. There's no trace of any one's glands. One rumor has it that back in the 50's, some visiting French chefs in Johannesburg created this concoction for their Afrikaner guests to use on their steaks. The name stuck and since then, there have been numerous variations on the popular theme. The basic ingredients include: fruit chutney, red wine, port, ketchup, curry powder, Tabasco, Worcester sauce, pepper, mustard powder, garlic, onion, chilies, brown sugar and vinegar.
Two points for the waitress in Worcester!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Southern rights and fynbos
From about July to November, the endangered southern right whales migrate north from Antartica to the warmer waters of South Africa. So, we packed the overnight bags into the trusty little auto and took off on Saturday morning for a 2 hour drive east towards the "whale coast".
Fortunately, we were having a break in the rain and hail and winds, and we were thrilled to see blue skies! The scenery along this stretch of coast reminded us all of our beloved Big Sur - the mountains crashing into the bays, steep cliffs on both sides of the road - along with hundreds of shipwrecks in the rocky waters below. However, these 400 million old sandstone mountains are quite different from the Ventana Wilderness. From our car view, we classified the vegetation as "naked Big Sur", but the locals refer to this distinctive Cape flora as "fynbos" (pronounced fane-bos), a Dutch term meaning "fine bush". For my plant enthusiast friends, these fynbos plants make up about 4/5 of the Cape Floral plant kingdom - the smallest and richest of the 6 floral kingdoms of the world. And of the 7,700 plant species in the Cape flora kingdom, about 5,000 are endemic to the Western Cape. Needless to say, this coastline is hardly naked! .
Our day's destination was the small town of Hermanus in Walker Bay. This fishing village grows to a popular tourist destination during these whale migration months. The cool thing about this whale watching location is that the whales come so close to shore (sandy bottoms and deep waters) that you don't need to go out in a boat to see them.
We arrived in Hermanus to find locals and visitors strolling along the coast road, on foot or in their cars... hundreds of people out and about - all there to watch the whales. We must have seen about 20 southern right whales that day. They seemed so relaxed hanging out in the bay, by the shore - rolling over, standing on their heads with their flukes in the air (sailing) or coming up to the surface, nose first (spyhopping). Every now and then they'd let out a big, long grunt! We had lunch with the whales that afternoon, and breakfast the next day with 2 whales right from our b&b porch. I asked the proprietor if she ever got tired of looking at them. "Oh no," she exclaimed, "They're different every day!".
The next morning we left the whales and went on a hike at the Fernkloof Nature Reserve right outside Hermanus. About 1600 species of fynbos plants make up the reserve. Some of the flowers in the reserve were on show in a small visitors hut at the base of the trails. On the door, the sign read "Please shut the door to keep the baboons out"! We didn't see any baboons on the trails, (or snakes, for that matter - Maya and I were happy about that!) - but we did see some beautiful flowering fynbos plants (proteas, ericas, leucodendrons, leucospermums, gladiolus), heard wonderful bird songs and took in some great views of the coastline, and oh... not to forget a few more whales from afar!
We took the inland route back home - through a quiet agricultural area with sheep farms and smaller wineries (which we discovered were all closed on Sundays). There were some snow-covered mountains In the distance. As we got closer to Cape Town, the wind started to howl and the skies darkened... another storm was brewing!
Fortunately, we were having a break in the rain and hail and winds, and we were thrilled to see blue skies! The scenery along this stretch of coast reminded us all of our beloved Big Sur - the mountains crashing into the bays, steep cliffs on both sides of the road - along with hundreds of shipwrecks in the rocky waters below. However, these 400 million old sandstone mountains are quite different from the Ventana Wilderness. From our car view, we classified the vegetation as "naked Big Sur", but the locals refer to this distinctive Cape flora as "fynbos" (pronounced fane-bos), a Dutch term meaning "fine bush". For my plant enthusiast friends, these fynbos plants make up about 4/5 of the Cape Floral plant kingdom - the smallest and richest of the 6 floral kingdoms of the world. And of the 7,700 plant species in the Cape flora kingdom, about 5,000 are endemic to the Western Cape. Needless to say, this coastline is hardly naked! .
Our day's destination was the small town of Hermanus in Walker Bay. This fishing village grows to a popular tourist destination during these whale migration months. The cool thing about this whale watching location is that the whales come so close to shore (sandy bottoms and deep waters) that you don't need to go out in a boat to see them.
We arrived in Hermanus to find locals and visitors strolling along the coast road, on foot or in their cars... hundreds of people out and about - all there to watch the whales. We must have seen about 20 southern right whales that day. They seemed so relaxed hanging out in the bay, by the shore - rolling over, standing on their heads with their flukes in the air (sailing) or coming up to the surface, nose first (spyhopping). Every now and then they'd let out a big, long grunt! We had lunch with the whales that afternoon, and breakfast the next day with 2 whales right from our b&b porch. I asked the proprietor if she ever got tired of looking at them. "Oh no," she exclaimed, "They're different every day!".
The next morning we left the whales and went on a hike at the Fernkloof Nature Reserve right outside Hermanus. About 1600 species of fynbos plants make up the reserve. Some of the flowers in the reserve were on show in a small visitors hut at the base of the trails. On the door, the sign read "Please shut the door to keep the baboons out"! We didn't see any baboons on the trails, (or snakes, for that matter - Maya and I were happy about that!) - but we did see some beautiful flowering fynbos plants (proteas, ericas, leucodendrons, leucospermums, gladiolus), heard wonderful bird songs and took in some great views of the coastline, and oh... not to forget a few more whales from afar!
We took the inland route back home - through a quiet agricultural area with sheep farms and smaller wineries (which we discovered were all closed on Sundays). There were some snow-covered mountains In the distance. As we got closer to Cape Town, the wind started to howl and the skies darkened... another storm was brewing!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Morning walks with Maya
We’ve moved this week to another house, a little further south from the girls’ schools and Seth’s work. Although the new place is a more comfortable space, and a little less expensive, I’ve grown to like our first neighborhood – so centrally located to “main street” which I always seem to enjoy, no matter where we are in the world. During the weekday mornings, Seth and Alex would leave first, by car. Maya's school was only a 7 minute walk from home. After Seth and Alex left, Maya and I would walk out the door, arm in arm, down the block, around the corner and up the street to Grove Primary. It’s different than our 7 minute drive to school back in Monterey. On our stroll, we’re sensing the morning together. We have time to notice the early light on Devil’s peak, time to say hello to the guards at the corner, and time to be silly as we cross the street. I'll miss these morning walks, and the best thing is, Maya will too!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
AH!
We just returned from our family's first overnight away from Cape Town - about 2 hours north, up the west coast. We planned the little get away around an article that a friend of Seth's mom sent us back in March from The New York Times Travel Magazine. It highlighted a small b&b called Ah!, located in Potanaster, one of the traditional fishing villages on the less touristy west coast. (Its name means "Our Father" in Afrikaans - words believed spoken by Vasco De Gama and his sailors as they touched down on their first stretch of African coast.) Although we couldn't get a room reservation (they only have 3 rooms and they don't take kids under 12), they invited us to join the other guests for dinner on Saturday night. And so the weekend plans took form...
We left on Saturday morning - headed out of town on the coast road - in the rain. First stop, The West Coast National Park on Langebaan Lagoon. The park, home to one of the world's most important wetland areas, hosts thousands of bird species and is a hot spot during the wild flower season - which runs fro
m August - Sept. After an hour's drive through the park, all we spotted were a few flowering ice plants (which Alex immediately wanted to stop the car so she could pull them out– a habit gained from working with Return of the Natives back home:), a couple of stunning herons and their nests, and some very tall, long-necked wild ostriches (which quickly distracted our wild flower search). Seems like the wildflower season is starting late this year - but there's always next
weekend.
As we continued our drive north, Maya was struck how the landscape began to look like what she imagined Ireland to be – green, low rocky hills with patchworks of cultivated fields and grazing sheep! We finally arrived at the Potanaster Hotel in the late afternoon. When we went to check in, we found that seemed like the whole town inside a smoke-filled room, with beer mugs in hand, watching the big rugby match against Australia! Needless to say, Seth wanted to hang around and catch the rugby buzz, but the rest of the family wasn't convinced...
A cloudy afternoon on Potanaster beach
We called to touch base with Ah!, and Arnold,the co-owner/chef told us to come for dinner at 7:30pm. When we asked if we could come a little earlier (South Africans eat a later dinner than the Pollacks), he explained that all the guests eat together at the same time. Well, at the end of the road, on a quiet beach, we found Ah!. We walked into a small, thatch-roofed building where in front of a large roaring fireplace was a long, wooden table, with lit candles down the center, places set for 14 guests. At the other end of the warm, cozy room was a simple kitchen - open to the dining area. To shorten the story of a 3 hour, 3-course dinner, we had a wonderfully delicious dining experience! Arnold prepared each course with such thoughtfulness and taste. He welcomed the girls to the table, and they held their own so gracefully in the company of adults. The food, the wine, the conversations, the music - it was all stunningly perfect. We'll remember that evening for a long time to come!
The skies were a little clearer on Sunday morning. While we ate our white toast and cold cereal in the hotel dining room, listening to Afrikaans folk music, we couldn't help but think of the guests at Ah! We packed up, and headed south back to Cape Town.
We stopped at a smaller nature reserve in hopes of getting a peek of some of the season's flowering bulbs, b
ut still no luck. Definitely have to have another look in a few more weeks.
where are those wildflowers??
Continued south and made a lunch stop at another small village named Darling. Although we quickly agreed that the town was aptly named, we later learned that the town was named after Mr. Darling, a Canadian who was a lieutenant governor of the Cape in the early 1800's. The real beginnings of the town dated back even earlier - to the late 1600's - followed by the successful Afrikaan dairy farmers, the Swedish butter makers, and the Lithuanian Jewish merchants. During our tour in the Darling Museum, we also discovered that the Duckitt family, originally from England, settled in Darling in the 1800's and still have descendants living there today. You see, we're moving next week to a house on Duckitt Ave and in case you might be wondering “who was Duckitt?”, well now we know! The street today was part of William Duckitt’s farm. He was an inventor of new and improved farming equipment and the first Duckitt in South Africa!
As we drove into Cape Town, we were welcomed by the view of Table Mountain. We all took note of its striking beauty in the afternoon light. It was good to be back home in its shadow.
We left on Saturday morning - headed out of town on the coast road - in the rain. First stop, The West Coast National Park on Langebaan Lagoon. The park, home to one of the world's most important wetland areas, hosts thousands of bird species and is a hot spot during the wild flower season - which runs fro
m August - Sept. After an hour's drive through the park, all we spotted were a few flowering ice plants (which Alex immediately wanted to stop the car so she could pull them out– a habit gained from working with Return of the Natives back home:), a couple of stunning herons and their nests, and some very tall, long-necked wild ostriches (which quickly distracted our wild flower search). Seems like the wildflower season is starting late this year - but there's always next weekend.
As we continued our drive north, Maya was struck how the landscape began to look like what she imagined Ireland to be – green, low rocky hills with patchworks of cultivated fields and grazing sheep! We finally arrived at the Potanaster Hotel in the late afternoon. When we went to check in, we found that seemed like the whole town inside a smoke-filled room, with beer mugs in hand, watching the big rugby match against Australia! Needless to say, Seth wanted to hang around and catch the rugby buzz, but the rest of the family wasn't convinced...
A cloudy afternoon on Potanaster beach
We called to touch base with Ah!, and Arnold,the co-owner/chef told us to come for dinner at 7:30pm. When we asked if we could come a little earlier (South Africans eat a later dinner than the Pollacks), he explained that all the guests eat together at the same time. Well, at the end of the road, on a quiet beach, we found Ah!. We walked into a small, thatch-roofed building where in front of a large roaring fireplace was a long, wooden table, with lit candles down the center, places set for 14 guests. At the other end of the warm, cozy room was a simple kitchen - open to the dining area. To shorten the story of a 3 hour, 3-course dinner, we had a wonderfully delicious dining experience! Arnold prepared each course with such thoughtfulness and taste. He welcomed the girls to the table, and they held their own so gracefully in the company of adults. The food, the wine, the conversations, the music - it was all stunningly perfect. We'll remember that evening for a long time to come!
The skies were a little clearer on Sunday morning. While we ate our white toast and cold cereal in the hotel dining room, listening to Afrikaans folk music, we couldn't help but think of the guests at Ah! We packed up, and headed south back to Cape Town.
We stopped at a smaller nature reserve in hopes of getting a peek of some of the season's flowering bulbs, b
ut still no luck. Definitely have to have another look in a few more weeks. where are those wildflowers??
Continued south and made a lunch stop at another small village named Darling. Although we quickly agreed that the town was aptly named, we later learned that the town was named after Mr. Darling, a Canadian who was a lieutenant governor of the Cape in the early 1800's. The real beginnings of the town dated back even earlier - to the late 1600's - followed by the successful Afrikaan dairy farmers, the Swedish butter makers, and the Lithuanian Jewish merchants. During our tour in the Darling Museum, we also discovered that the Duckitt family, originally from England, settled in Darling in the 1800's and still have descendants living there today. You see, we're moving next week to a house on Duckitt Ave and in case you might be wondering “who was Duckitt?”, well now we know! The street today was part of William Duckitt’s farm. He was an inventor of new and improved farming equipment and the first Duckitt in South Africa!
As we drove into Cape Town, we were welcomed by the view of Table Mountain. We all took note of its striking beauty in the afternoon light. It was good to be back home in its shadow.
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