Down To Capetown

Arrived at Stellenbosch and spent a couple of days there. The town is named after the Van Der Stel family. I toured the town close to The University of Stellenbosch. I found a restaurant called the Arizona Spur! I met a couple of the workers, Ingrid and Sarels. They tolerated me while I snooped through there menu and spoke with them for a while. Here is what I found. Spur style Garlic Snails, Steak Cherokee with peri peri (chicken livers), Eisbein (tender meaty pork grilled to perfection), Spur Schnitzel, Hungary Bustas for Supa Hunga, Cheddamelt, Peppamelt to name a few.

This is the V.O.C. Kruithuis. It was originally run by the Dutch East India Company (Pirates of the Caribbean). It was used to store weopons and ammunition. I thought this was quite humorous and ingenious. The Dutch made this depot look like a church as you can see in the bell tower. They did this to trick the enemy in thinking it was a church so it would not be targeted for attack.

I went to a open market and bought a few things and chatted with the locals. This is Mussa. I bought some of his artwok which he is holding. He also is an art teacher and was selling some of his students artwork. Mussa works in a spanish restaurant ans spoke fluent spanish. It was a lot of fun speaking with Mussa in Spanish. I travel halfway around the world and speak spanish with a South African. The paintings are on fabric and sealed and printed using wax. I have found the South AFrican people very charming, accomadating, and incredible hosts!

This is Beauty and Justin. I bought some bakwiff artwork from them and a mahogany bowl made by Nelson Mandela's tribe. Bakwiff is made from the skin of a tree and the paint was made from various plants native to the area. You can see the bakwiff artwork in the back. The art reflects animals very important to them caled the "Big Five." These are the lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo, and the leopard.

This is Jones Bwanali. I bought a "Smiling" lion carved out of stone from him. He predicted that Mexico would win 1-0 over Bafana Bafana

This a pic of the Green Point Stadium in Capetown from Signal Hill. 

This is a picture of Capetown and Table Mountain in the background. Pieter is in the first picture.

This is the Sunset in Capetown. It was the end of our first day there. Very beautiful and quite chilly.

We went to the market at the waterfront and enjoyed some shopping and World Cup festivities. Here is a gian replica of the ball that is being used. We shrunk Pieter before taking the picture.

Capetown – Day Two

We spent most of the day at Table Mountain enjoying the view of all of Capetown from the famous mountain. One can see the city, Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope, and Robben Island. Robben Island is the location where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 26 years. Nelson Mandela is endeared by everyone in South Africa and would be considered The George Washington of their country. Unfortunately Mandela’s Grand Daughter perished in a car accident on the eve of the opening game and ceremonies for the World Cup.

We visited Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape of Good Hope is the western most point of the Cape and has been an historical point of interest for most of western civilization. For mariners it is a dreaded location in the winter time where the seas swell, storms erupt, and the current can be impossible to deal with as the cold Atlantic waters and the warm Indian Ocean mix. The Cape of Good Hope is were Captain Van der Dekken of The Flying Dutchman swore an oath to the devil where he would sail around the cape of good hope even if it took him to Doomsday.

On the way back to Johannesburg from Capetown, our British Airways plane was filled with Tres Colores supporters including a Luchador, Mexico’s National team. They were wearing ponchos and sombreros chanting their songs. I had another opportunity to speak in Spanish in South Africa with several passengers. I walked on the plane and said loudly, Los Estados Unidos!!! We all had fun with that, and I said, “Los Locos de Mexicon llegaron! Soy de Arizona, necesito todo papeles cada uno!” Translating, The United States!!! The crazy Mexican have arrived! I am from Arizona and I need papers from each of you. On the plane I met Gerardo. Gerardo lives in Sonora, Mexico. He works for Nextel in Mexico. Surprisingly, Gerardo and I have a lot in common. We both went to University of Arizona in 1992 and 1993. He received his asters there! Bear Down!!!