Food & Friends
For this, my final posting of photos from South Africa, I pay tribute to some of the little things that made my trip so memorable. For example, My hotel rate included full access to the daily breakfast buffet, where I would enjoy some local fruits, like the aforementioned tomango and granadilla (passion fruit), the goopy delight pictured above.
My fruit appetizer was only a warm-up for the tasty made-to-order omelette that followed. My favourite side was a healthy dollop of “beef mince” — my camera phone really didn’t do it justice.
Minibus taxis like this were parked in front of my hotel at all hours of the day and night. They’re usually bound for a single destination, and don’t leave until full-up with passengers. As such, the drivers have helpers who hang out the window and solicit business by repeatedly yelling out where the minibus is headed. The result? Every time I walked out onto the street all I could hear was: “Sea Point, Sea Point, Sea Point!” — except yelled ten times as fast.
More days than not, the hotel staff’s favourite cab driver was also parked outside. Livingstone — either his first or last name — had such a good reputation with the bellhops and parking attendants that I asked him to drive me to airport on my last day, and got this souvenir photo.
The billboard belongs to Cell C, a local cell phone company, and could be spotted by looking north down Strand Street from the elevator ride to my room. Home schweet home, indeed!
Rolf Achim Kanjilal is discussing. 
Rolf Achim Kanjilal 1:21 PM on September 6, 2004 Permalink |
Dear AC:
Tag!
Around a dozen years back, when we here in North York were recovering from a traffic accident, we hosted Gerda, a middle-aged international relief worker from neighboring Zimbabwe. She was on the front lines of the war on disease, famine and poverty, although I did not inquire as to the particulars of her missionary work.
South Africa, from what I’ve seen on the CBC and Newsworld, has changed since then, after the vote on political reforms. From what I see in the news pages, it seems now to be a more open-minded society, where a black or a coloured and a white can work and play together. In a mutually-respectable, socially acceptable manner. There’s world acceptance for the cricket team and a large contingent of South African amateur athletes appeared in the Summer Olympics just passed, full of fervour for their nation and a full-fledged member of the Commonwealth.
Now that you’re back on home soil safe and sound, you might consider taking the time out of your orderly and busy day, and renting Night on Earth (no, it’s not another horror movie for North American markets!), where I saw what I assume was the ‘France version’ of the nice cab ride I hope you commandeered politely in Capetown.
-Rolf