Circumcision Ceremony and the BMW

Cape Town Township Housing

Maxwell, Zulu Guide, with Cape Town City Hall in Background

Life is culturally rich and perplexingly interesting in the black townships of Cape Town. White foreign tourists (i.e. our family) can visit the townships and feel quite safe when escorted by a guide who lives there. Our guide Maxwell greeted us in our hotel lobby wearing a pressed black business suit, crisp white shirt and tie. He is a tall Zulu man with a deep voice. His real name is Shaka, which means warrior. First, he took us to stand in the large plaza in front of Cape Town's city hall, where Nelson Mandela had addressed packed crowds as apartheid fell. Maxwell was 20 years old then, and stood with the mobs in tears and cheers. Today, he has steady work as a free-lance tour guide but he, like most other blacks, lives in the unbelievably crowded and primitive conditions in the townships. No indoor plumbing, no heat, no insulation and leaky roofs. The government provides the land and tiny shacks for free. In the townships, people can legally practice rituals such as sacrificing animals, that they would not otherwise be permitted to do in other districts in Cape Town. The first township we visited was Langa, the oldest township - very close to downtown Cape Town. About ten minutes after driving away from the downtown area, we passed a large electric generation plant, presumably serving much of the industrial area of Cape Town. After the electric plant, the main road continues past a tree-filled grove, for about one-half mile or so before the road to turn left into the township. Maxwell pulled over and stopped the car to point into the tree grove, to a half dozen or so light colored tents almost completely hidden by the trees. The landmark he used to orient our sights to find the tents was a shiny new BMW SUV parked just outside the grove. Smoke curls were streaming up from the encampment. He explained that the tents are occupied right now by boys undergoing their manhood ceremony. Just as the Zulus do out in their rural communities, they practice the same cultural rituals while living in the city. When boys are almost 19 years old, they must go into the woods, deprived of food and drink for a few days, and then undergo the circumcision ceremony without anesthesia. While recovering in their tents, they are brought food. That was why the snazzy BMW was parked nearby - for a food drop to care for the boys in the tents in the woods - between the electric plant and the overcrowded slum of urban shacks.

Rent-a-Knife in Langa Township, Cape Town

Mzoli's - Belly-Filler in Langa Township of Cape Town

Where the Meat Meets the Heat: Mzoli's Kitchen

A few sweaty guys tend open fires in a really hot, tiled room, flipping slabs of spicily marinated beef, pork, chicken and lamb. Mzoli's is a rare commodity--a restaurant--located in Langa, one of the oldest townships in Cape Town. Situated in the midst of tiny crowded shack-homes, Mzoli's sells barbecued meats to be consumed on the premises at picnic tables outside. You choose your raw meats from the butcher's display case and then take them to a counter to arrange for them to be barbecued. While waiting for the meat to cook, Gordon and I saved seats at a picnic table under the tented open air cover. Our Zulu guide Maxwell took Larry and Max back out into the street to get drinks. They went into a lady's shack across the street to buy beers. She offered a six pack for sale, but Max pointed out that it was actually a five-and-a-half pack, because one of the beers had already been drunk halfway. When the meat was finished cooking, it was piled onto a platter and handed over. Our guide Maxwell advised that if you prefer not to use African utensils (i.e. your hands), you need to buy plates (paper), cutlery (thin white plastic) and napkins (paper). Also, since the slabs of meat are large, you really could use a real knife. No problem. Rent a steak knife for ten rand (about $1.20) deposit, to be refunded when you return the knife. It was delicious food and perfectly cooked. We also bought the side of pap, a ground maize that looks like mashed potatoes, but whiter. After we finished eating, our guide Maxwell asked if I wanted to meet the owner of the restaurant. Sure...why not? I followed Maxwell back into the butcher shop storefront area, where the owner was busy taking payments. Maxwell suggested I pose with the owner so we could get  a picture with my camera. No problem. Smiles. Click. I held out the steak knife and asked for the deposit refund. He took back the knife, smiled and suggested ten rand for the photo. Fair deal!

Picture Pose instead of Knife Deposit Return

Red Cappucino

South Africa's most common tea drink is red tea. It is really red and it is naturally decaffeinated. A coffee place called Mugg & Bean serves it like a cappuccino, with foamed milk and honey, topped with cinnamon powder. The drink is called Rooibos, pronounced "Roy Boss". It's delicious.  This was at the Mugg & Bean store in Franschhoek in the Winelands.

My Two Cents About Money and Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe has suffered from crippling inflation. Paper money became virtually worthless, so the government printed new bills in higher and higher denominations, in amounts that were staggeringly, and in fact, unbelievably high -- notes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, then millions, then billions.
Eventually, the country has righted its problem. As a practical matter, the people of Zimbabwe use U.S. Dollars or South African Rand. First choice is dollars. Strangely, the smallest U.S. dollar bill available is the $2 dollar bill - in abundance. One dollar bills are rare.
Now that Zimbabwe has stabilized a bit by conducting transactions in dollars or rand, the people are beginning to rebuild their lives. It was tragic to hear stories of life savings, in fact means of survival being wiped out as inflation soared. Things got to the point where it became unaffordable to buy meager provisions to eat. For some time, the government issued special currency called agricultural notes which looked like regular paper money except they included both an issue date and an expiration date a few months later. For example. a 5 million dollar note would buy a loaf of bread for a brief period. Shopkeepers now offer to sell those old notes as souvenirs (if you ask). I bought a $5 billion dollar agricultural note (and paid with a US $2 Dollar bill).

Victoria Falls: The Zen of Zim

Double Rainbow (Typical)

Victoria Falls perpetually appears on all those short lists of the world's natural wonders. The water from the Zambezi River tumbles down a stunningly steep cliff that forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. After making the decision to visit the falls, one must decide whether to stay on the Zimbabwe side or the Zambia side. Fodor's guidebook refers to this decision as "To Zim or to Zam?" We chose To Zim because the ferocious curtain of water faces the Zimbabwe shore, treating those on Zimbabwe's side to the dramatic display of mist and double rainbows on Devil's Cataract, the most spectacular section. It seems like you are walking through the rainbows as you stroll the paths of the national park lining the falls' edge.
The other option of staying in Zambia was very tempting, as most of the adventure outfitters operate on the Zambia side at the top of the falls, like swimming in Devil's Pool - a natural pond perched at the edge of the killer steep drop, or bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge. Also, Zambia offers several lovely chic lodges along the river, as well as a much more stable political climate than Zimbabwe. In fact, the country of Zimbabwe is somewhat dangerous to visit, unless you confine your visit to the tourist Town of Victoria Falls - which we did. Upon arriving at immigration, we were warned that it is illegal to photograph military people or government buildings - or, it gets worse- to wear; or even to possess camouflage clothing - punishable by imprisonment. We intended to spend less than 24 hours on our little jaunt to see this natural wonder of the world. And so, we opted to visit Zimbabwe. We stayed in the Victoria Falls Hotel, a grand old colonial dame built by the British The hotel, its expansive lawns and terraced patio are squarely situated facing the falls and majestic bridge. The entrance to the national park is less than ten minutes' walk from the hotel. When taking tea on the terrace in the afternoon, the view is surreal. The mist rising from the falls is known as "the smoke that thunders" and can be seen from 40 miles away. For a quick hop to view the majesty of Victoria Falls, our choice to visit via Zimbabwe was fantaztic. The Zen of Zim.

Tidbits from Turkey

Bodrum (Doesn't it look like St. Tropez? Newport?)

Torba in the Morning

Casa Dell'Arte in Torba, near Bodrum

Bodrum Peninsula

Serene Sirince Village

Inside a 4th Century Hidden Chapel, Carved into a Rock in the Red Valley in Cappadocia

Cone-Shaped Rocks in Cappadocia

Sun-Dapples

Floating over Cappadoccia

Sunrise over Anatolia

Balloon Traffic

Fired

Sacred House Boutique Cave Hotel in Urgup

Fairy Chimneys

Girlfriends Stroll in the Pigeon Valley

Prayer at Suleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul

Pictures from Peru

Fishing Nets on Lake Titicaca

View of Macchu Pichu from Sun Gate Trail

Afternoon at Macchu Pichu

Children in Huilloc village in the Sacred Valley, jockeying for treats