A quiet day in Berber Country / Farewell to Tunisia

After a couple of long days behind the steering wheel, today I took it very easy, enjoying my comfortable room, making one short trip to a neighbouring Berber town called Toujene…..

and strolling around my own village, which had an excellent café ……..

….and an interesting museum of Berber life. The Berbers – or Amazigh (“free men”) as they call themselves in Tunisia – were the original inhabitants of North Africa before settlement by the Phoenicians and then Romans, and the later invasion by the Arabs. The word “Berber” has a similar origin to “barbarian” and came from the Romans, to whose ears the incomprehensible Berber language sounded like “ba-ba-ba”.

The owner explained that his village had been carved out of a mountain, with the excavated rock layered on top to create more houses. Each house had a secret tunnel that connected to similar tunnels in all the other buildings, linked up to form an escape route that the villagers used if they were attacked (which seemed to have happened quite often). The villagers would emerge in a hidden place around 1km away and then seek to locate and steal the attackers’ horses – without which they would find it impossible to carry back any loot they had found. The owner showed me the entrance to his secret escape route and then explained that he had blocked it off with concrete, being worried about being burgled whilst he was away – anyone could find an entrance to the tunnel system through an abandoned property and gain access to his museum in this way.

I could probably have sat talking to the museum owner for hours, but it was now time for another big five course dinner, this time accompanied by white wine. It was a good way to spend my penultimate night in Tunisia.

My final day in Tunisia was spent on the long drive back to Tunis. There was some interesting desert scenery as I left Tamezret.

After a couple of hours I made one stop on the way to visit the magnificent Roman amphitheatre in El Jem.

This is the one of the biggest amphitheatres in the world and could seat up to 35,000 spectators (which must have been more than the population of the town it was built in). It was built around 238 AD by the local Roman official Gordian, who was later proclaimed emperor by the Senate (Gordian II) in an revolt against Maximinus Thrax, but was killed in battle 22 days later – making his “reign” the shortest in Roman history. His amphitheatre is also one of the best preserved, and it is still possible to walk up to the very top row of seats to get a spectacular view of the whole site.

From El Jem I made the rather dull two hour drive to Tunis along the motorway, arriving in the early evening. My flight back was early the next morning so I checked into a hotel near the airport and went off for one last dinner. I found a place guarded by bouncers, and entered to find a very busy bar/restaurant with a large TV screen. It was crowded with men, who were smoking, drinking and eating. A specialty of Tunisia seems to be ordering 12 beers in one go, which come in a large silver bucket filled with ice. Several of the restaurant’s guests appeared to have ordered one of these buckets for themselves. Alcohol is not very visible in Tunisia, but widely available if you know where to look, and apparently the country has one of the highest rates of beer consumption in the world.

I followed everyone’s example and indulged in a pint of the local beer, enjoying the jolly atmosphere. It was a good way to end my short trip around Tunisia. It had been a good break, with some interesting places to visit, if not maybe the world-class sights of my last few holidays in Egpyt, Poland and Namibia. In then end I had enjoyed some sunny weather, although it was cold in the evenings. I looked at the weather forecast for London – nine degrees and rain. Better order another beer!

3rd March 2024 1

Through the country of the Berbers

Endlessly photogenic Chenini in the morning

After a very comfortable night in my nice warm hotel-cave, I had breakfast and set off to explore the region. The main attractions were the Berber “ksours” or “ksars” – fortified storage facilities found at the centre of many towns. Mostly built around the 15^th century, today they lie empty and make for an atmospheric tourist destination – or in some cases, a film set. So here are few pictures of the ones that I visited.

Ksar Number 3 – Ouled Soltane, the best preserved ksar in Tunisia

After a circular drive taking in three ksours I headed north, where I hunted down the valley of Beni Gedhir, where some dinosaur footprints have recently been discovered. The site was poorly marked, and from the car park I had to scramble up a rough slope in the hope that the sign just visible at the top of the mountain marked where the main attraction was. Fortunately, it did, but the footprints themselves were rather disappointing – there were lots of them, but they were small (roughly teddy size) and indistinct.

Me standing next to a dinosaur footprint

After that I stopped in yet another Ksour – this one called Ksar Hadada, where some scenes were filmed for a Star Wars film. There are several such filming locations in Tunisia, which attract a steady stream of Star Wars fans and usually some scruffy shops selling branded merchandise. The owner of this particular site had made a bigger effort and had turned the ksour into a quirky boutique hotel.

By this time I was beginning to feel I had had enough of seeing ksars – four in one day was more than enough. My destination for the night however lay further north, about 140km and two hours away according to Google. I only had fuel for 130km so made sure to check with the giant American company’s map that there were petrol stations on the way. Reassured, I set off, but the first two stations indicated by Google did not exist, and I was getting a bit worried when I stumbled across a roadside petrol stall with several large plastic containers. Suspicious of the quality of fuel I might get, I asked for only 50 dinars (15 euros) worth of petrol – but found that this bought me two big containers, which the shop owner emptied into a funnel with a hose leading to my tank. The first contained a yellowish liquid that certainly looked like petrol, but the second was a strange green colour, resembling windscreen wiper fluid. Despite the fuel’s doubtful appearance, my car continued to run smoothly and I was pleasantly surprised to see that my minor investment had given me a full tank. My satnav showed me a long route which went around three sides of a large rectangle- west, north and back east. I had resigned myself to two hours of boring driving through featureless desert when suddenly I saw a road heading off directly north and a sign indicating my destination. It seemed too good to be true. The road did not feature on Google Maps, but I took it anyway and arrived at my hotel in a small town called Tamezret an hour earlier than expected. After several occasions where Google’s inaccuracies had cost me extra time or caused me worry, it was good to have a nice surprise for a change.

Tamezret, the view from the balcony of my room

My hotel was very small – only three rooms – but reputed as one of the best in Tunisia for its food and extensive cellar of Tunisian wines. Soon it was time for dinner and I enjoyed a five-course meal whose highlight was dromedary steak, washed down with a bottle of carignan red wine.

2nd March 2024 2

No hotel, so I slept in a bear cave

Today I woke early since I had a long day ahead of me. First, I made a quick visit to the UNESCO listed Great Mosque, originally built in the 7^th century but largely rebuilt in the 9^th. It is one of the most important mosques in all of Islam and has a beautiful prayer hall. Although non-Muslims cannot enter the latter, it was possible to admire its striking interior with its many columns (borrowed from many different Roman ruins around the area) from its wide-open doors and windows.

After visiting the Great Mosque, I set off on a long drive all the way to the south of Tunisia. Google estimated the drive time as four and half hours, but sadly the giant American company was poorly informed about roadworks and driving conditions in Tunisia. At first, I followed a provincial road, which was OK for driving in the country, but which passed through several towns with anarchic traffic. Cars, trucks, vans and horse-drawn carriages jostled for position on crowded roads, whilst pedestrians would fearlessly stride out into the traffic expecting the oncoming vehicles to avoid them. Not for nothing do around 2000 people die each year on Tunisia’s roads.

Finally, I reached Tunisia’s main motorway, only to find the slip road closed off by Tunisia’s favourite roadside decoration – the massive red and white concrete blocks. Possibly someone had once had the idea of doing roadworks, but it seemed they had forgotten about this after sealing off the road. So, I endured another 20km on local roads before reaching the next slip road, which was fortunately open. For about an hour I made rapid progress, before the whole motorway – the main artery running north-south through Tunisia – was suddenly closed by more concrete blocks. There were no signs giving advanced warning or indicating an alternative road, so I had to find my own way along slow, local roads to the next junction …….to find that this too had roadworks. There was though a winding path, just wider than my car, through yet more concrete blocks to the motorway. It did not look like it was supposed to be open, but I took it anyway and was soon heading south again at motorway speed.

I reached my originally planned destination, a nondescript town called Tataouine, about an hour later than Google had predicted. Another surprise awaited me when I arrived at the address Booking.com gave for my hotel…….to find that it wasn’t there. A couple of large residential houses lay behind a tall wall, neither looking like a hotel and neither answering their doorbell. I phoned Booking.com to ask them to try to trace my accommodation, and whilst they were working on this, I headed off to visit one of the local attractions – the Berber mountain village of Chenini. Leaving the chaotic traffic of Tatouine behind me, the road emerged into some pretty mountains.

Desert scenery on the approach to Chenini

Chenini did not disappoint – a collection of houses carved into the side of a steep orange-brown mountain. From the top, there were fantastic views over the surrounding countryside.

After a tiring and frustrating day behind the wheel, I felt my luck was changing, and this was confirmed when I found a wonderful small hotel with troglodyte rooms carved into the rock. Despite its remote location, the place had everything, including hot water and Wi-Fi. It was miles better than the place I had tried to book in Tataouine, so I checked in and enjoyed the sunset and the changing colours of the mountains from a nearby café. An hour later Booking.com duly confirmed the non-existence of the place I had originally booked.

I enjoyed dinner in my hotel and settled down to sleep. My cave – an appropriate choice of accommodation for a bear – was very cosy and pleasantly warm. I fell into a pleasant and deep sleep.

1st March 2024 5

From Tunis to Kairouan

Today I picked up a hire car and drove south from Tunis. All the main roads leading out of the city seemed to be “en travaux” and I usually found myself driving between big red and white concrete blocks that separated off the area supposedly being worked on (where there was no sign of activity) and the driving lane. Behind the concrete blocks, on the verge and pavement, would be mounds of discarded plastic bottles and blue plastic shopping bags. Behind that would be rows of houses, many of which were half-finished – Tunisia seems to have a problem with finishing building projects. Even by the low standards of capital cities around the world, the outskirts of Tunis are unusually ugly.

I was relieved when the road reached open country, with fields (and slightly less litter) on either side of the road. In the distance I noticed a strange, tall, light brown pillar, standing on its own in the middle of a field. At first I thought that this was another unfinished Tunisian building, but then I saw another…..and another…….and then a long line of these columns linked by a raised passageway. It was an ancient Roman aqueduct, built to move water 10 km from some natural springs to the settlement of Oudina, which was my first destination for the day.

They don’t build like this anymore – a 10km long Roman aquaduct

I followed the aqueduct for several km to my destination. Oudina an ancient Roman settlement dating from the Emperor Augustus, who built the town for veterans fighting on his side in the civil war that brought him to power. The ruins are quite extensive, but I was short of time, so I limited myself to the highlight – the amphitheatre, which was in excellent condition and is still used for shows and concerts, and which was probably built in Hadrian’s time.

From Oudina I continued south to Kairouan, a city founded by invading Arab forces in the 7^th century and the centre for the introduction of Islam to Tunisia. Kairouan’s ancient city wall still stands, enclosing its old town with its medina and many beautiful old buildings. The most famous of these is the Great Mosque, originally built when the city was founded and the oldest mosque in western Islam. When I arrived there, it had already closed for visitors, so I decided to visit early the next morning and wandered instead around the old town.

The city wall of Kairouan, with a cemetery in front and the minaret of the Great Mosque behind

Unlike the one in Tunis, Kairouan’s medina was compact and clean. I realised I had left my guidebook back in the hotel, so I had the pleasure of a completely random unguided stroll. There were many pretty little houses, busy souks, and other, smaller mosques.

One highlight was the former house of the governor, which had ornately carved and beautifully tiled interiors…….but which was also now a shop selling carpets. The person showing us round pointed out the architectural features in each room……and then pointed out the best carpets. He was particularly proud that his company supplied a huge and well-known carpet retailer in France, and in each room would say that the stock here was “better and cheaper than Saint-Maclou”.

A group of rich-looking German tourists entered the house and I used this distraction to make a quick getaway to a café built into the city walls.

After that I headed back to my hotel for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised that not only was their buffet rather good, but that they also had reasonably priced Tunisian wine available. The rather good bottle of Ugni Blanc helped me get an excellent night’s sleep – which I was need, since the next day turned out to have some unexpected excitement.

29th February 2024 1

Day 2 in Tunis

Today I visited two of the highlights of Tunis – the medina and the Bardo museum. The entrance to the former was marked by the Bab el Bhar, a fine ceremonial gate.

Inside the medina was the usual maze of small shops, covered passageways and beautiful, mysterious doors.

Compared to many of the other place in North Africa I have visited, Tunis’ medina was pleasantly free of touts hassling tourists and the local people were very friendly. However, I was less lucky with the weather and spent my time dodging in and out of cover to avoid heavy rain showers. The snaking lanes led me to the Zitouna Mosque, the oldest and most famous mosque in Tunis, which dates from the 9^th century, but which is closed to visitors.

The medina also had countless places to eat or enjoy a drink and escape the rain…..

Finally I emerged onto the grand Kasbah Square and its striking National Monument.

On Kasbah Square, looking back at the medina

My walk then took me back into a quieter part of the medina. The shops and crowds were replaced by empty streets and small workshops where carpenters or metalworkers were busy. After a few more minutes strolling – passing more mosques and a couple of old palaces – I reached the Tourbet el Bey, where Tunis’ princes and princesses are buried. Several elaborate chambers, each with many tombs, led off from two peaceful courtyards. The beys’ (princes’) tombs were in a single chamber, and I searched out the one belonging to Mohammed Naceur Pacha Bey, the great-great-grandfather of the owner of my guest house.

Tombs of the Beys (princes) – our landlady’s great-grandfather’s tomb is on the right

Since each prince could have many wives, there were many more tombs of princesses, and these occupied three more rather crowded chambers.

One of the rooms for the tombs of the princesses

It was a beautiful place, made even more evocative by the fact that I was the only visitor. It was a good way to end my visit to the oldest part of Tunis.

From there, I took a short taxi ride to the Bardo Museum which houses art from the entire range of Tunisia’s history, and is most famous for its collections from the Roman period. Although I knew this was one of the highlights of Tunis, I was still pleasantly surprised by the number, quality and sheer size of the dozens of mosaics on display. Now I knew why there were so many mosaics simply lying around on the sites in Carthage – the museum has no space for any more!

A Roman mosaic and a small teddy to give an impression of scale

The exhibits were beautifully displayed in a range of rooms designed in different styles from the history of the country – the rooms on the top floor had intricately carved ceilings that matched the mosaics for their beauty.

A room presenting the later Islamic period of Tunisia’s history

It was now late afternoon – I had been on my feet all day, so I headed back to my “Dar” to relax, get something to eat, and write my blog. It had been an interesting day but my hopes that Tunisia’s weather might provide a pleasant change to London’s rain had not – so far – been justified.

28th February 2024 5

Tunis

It’s February…….that means it is time to escape the cold and rain of my hometown London for a short break to somewhere (supposedly) warmer and sunnier. This blog will cover my trip around Tunisia. My flight arrived in the evening and after the usual formalities I reached my guest house at ten, and went straight to bed.

The next day I had breakfast and my host showed me around his property. It was a huge place, formed by connecting two already large houses, with period furnishings from the 1920s and several roof terraces on different levels looking out over Tunis. The current owners’ ancestors featured in some of the many pictures on the walls; they came from a long line of prominent Tunisians, one of whom had even been the Bey (prince) of Tunis.

View from one of the balconies of my guest house

My sightseeing started with the very oldest attraction in Tunis, the ancient site of Carthage, a major military and naval power that battled with Rome for dominance of the Mediterranean over 264 to 146 BC. Rome eventually won these wars and added the north coast of Africa to its empire. The original city of Carthage was largely destroyed and replaced with Roman buildings. My first stop was the Baths of Antoninus, dating from 145-162 AD, the biggest baths complex outside of Rome.

The Baths of Antoninus – Carthage’s best preserved site

Next, I headed to a nearby site, where the remains of several Roman villas were spread over a pleasantly green hillside, with many wild flowers – including jasmine and rosemary. Even after nearly 2,000 years, the ruins gave a vivid impression of how rich some of the Roman settlers were.

They don’t know what to do with all the Roman mosaics

The remains of Carthage are a bit unlike most other old archaeological sites I had visited before. They were quite spread out over an affluent suburb of modern Tunis, requiring quite a lot of walking to get from one set of ruins to the next. Some of the modern houses I passed had borrowed parts of the ancient city……

The final site I visited in Carthage was one of the oldest – the Punic naval port. A model showed what this once looked like under the Carthaginians – a huge complex that could house 220 warships and which was built on an island. The model looked like it could have been a set for the “Game of Thrones”. The Romans destroyed their enemy’s naval base and replaced it with a temple, the remains of which survive to this day.

The Carthaginians naval base – as it was

From Carthage I headed to the cute seaside port of Sidi Bou Said, with its colourful blue and white buildings. I visited a wonderful old 18^th century house, furnished to show how (rich) people lived in that century.

The Dar El-Ennabi, a magnificent 18th century house

I ended my visit over a glass of mint tea in the house’s courtyard.

The rest of the port of Sidi Bou Said was also pretty, with magnificent views across the bay of Tunis towards the mountains in the south.

During my exploration the weather changed, and it became cloudy, windy and cold – much like London had been when I left it. I enjoyed another mint tea in a café before heading back to my opulent room in my guest house to warm up.

27th February 2024 2

Shop until you drop – Cape Town’s Waterfront

I spent today exploring the V+A Waterfront. This was the first part of Cape Town to be settled and claims to be the oldest working harbour in the southern hemisphere. The Victoria and Alfred (Victoria’s son) docks were busy during Cape Town’s role as a centre for gold and diamond exports from South Africa in the late nineteenth century. In the 1990s, the area was redeveloped. One working dry dock for ship repairs remains, but the remaining shipping activity is now entirely pleasures cruises. The warehouses have been converted to shops, restaurants, offices and a conference centre.

The conversion was very successful. The area was beautiful, with the spectacular backdrop of Table Mountain.

The souvenir shops sold lots of interesting articles. My favourite place was the African Trading Post. Its ground floor housed traditional souvenirs, plus some unusual ones – like Zimbabwe bank notes. The highest denomination I found was for fifty trillion Zimbabwe dollars.

You can be a trillionaire in Zimbabwe it seems

Its three upper floors were given over to increasingly exuberant carvings and sculptures, with finally a museum on the top floor.

Second floor of the African Trading Post

The Waterfront has lots of open-air restaurants and cafés. Recognising that shopping might be stressful for men, one place had set up a day care centre for husbands where wives could leave their partners before going round the countless shops.

The area also had statues of famous people…….

Four giant figures in the ending of Apartheid, and one small bear

……..and a popular large scale chess set.

There were security guards everywhere, meaning the atmosphere was more relaxed than the rest of Cape Town. People gathered to enjoy a range of high quality street performers, including this excellent young people’s choir.

An excellent youth choir

My shopping completed, I headed back to my flat, and then later went out for dinner in the City Bowl area at the Sea Breeze restaurant, where I had an excellent fish curry. I went to bed early – I had one day left in South Africa, and knew that it would be very busy.

21st November 2023 0

To the end of the world…and back home

Today was my last day in South Africa, and it was busy. I woke early to pick up a hire car and set off immediately to drive down to Cape Point and the nearby Cape of Good Hope, about an hour and half south of the city. Unlike my previous experience driving in Cape Town, the road along the coast was very scenic and quiet. It went through several affluent suburbs before I reached Chapman’s Drive, a famously scenic toll road. It did not disappoint.

The Cape Point area is part of a large national park. I paid my entrance fee and drove in, as the views became more and more spectacular. I finally arrived at a car park below a lighthouse; I had reached the southwestern tip of the African continent.

To my left, miles and miles of stunning coastline presented itself in a 180-degree arc, first heading east and then further south – the southernmost point of Africa is in fact not Cape Point but Cape Agulhas, about 180km to the east. The Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet between these two capes.

…looking forwards towards the old lighthouse….

A short distance to my right was the famous Cape of Good Hope. This marks the point where ships, having travelled thousands of kilometres down Africa’s Atlantic coast, finally begin to travel more east than south.

…and looking west to the Cape of Good Hope

I walked up to the base of the lighthouse and stood admiring the view, whilst trying to keep my camera steady in the face of a ferocious wind. This area was quite busy with other tourists, but I soon found a small track to the old lighthouse, which was even closer to the tip of the point. This path was deserted, and when I got to the end, I was the only person there. The views – and the wind – were breath-taking.

After soaking in the panorama, I returned to the new lighthouse and took the more popular route to the Cape of Good Hope. On the way I spotted a group of elands, quietly browsing – I was very pleased, since at Etosha in Namibia I had only managed to see one of these animals in the far distance.

The path offered more brilliant scenery, before I got to the famous Cape.

I imagined the excitement of Bartolomeu Dias’ sailors as they finally reached this beautiful place and confirmed that there was an end to the African continent. Later I learnt that on their outward voyage they actually sailed further south, out of sight of land, and landed further east at Mossel Bay, only discovering the Cape on their way back.

On the Cape of Good Hope, looking towards Cape Point and yet more capes in the far distance

I regained my car and headed to the exit of the park. On the way, there was an unusual traffic jam caused by a pair of ostriches and their chicks. I got of out my car to take photos, but soon realised I had taken a silly risk. The mother ostrich perceived me as a threat and approached me aggressively. I remembered what the guide at the ostrich farm had told me about the birds being able to kill with a single blow from their feet and hurried back to my car. Maybe I was lucky to be a small teddy, and less of a threat then a taller human, because mother ostrich did not pursue me.

After my close shave, I drove north for one last visit – to the penguin colony at Boulders. The site was very busy with penguins – and tourists. Visitors had to stay on a wooden walkway which went right over the beach where the colony was living. This allowed me to observe the birds much more closely than had been possible in Namibia and to take some great photos, albeit at the cost of having to endure a much more “touristy” experience with crowds of tour groups.

I returned to Cape Town along the same spectacular coast road that I had travelled in the morning, arriving just in time to return my car. It had been a brilliant day – pleasant driving, spectacular scenery, history, penguins, elands, and a close encounter with an ostrich.

The excursion to Cape Point was a fitting way to end my trip around Namibia and South Africa. From (almost) the southernmost tip of the continent in the morning, I was due to fly all the way back to London that night. I had spent close to a month in southern Africa and thoroughly enjoyed it. Namibia had offered a selection of world class attractions, like Etosha national park, the giant dunes of Sossusvlei and Fish River Canyon. South Africa had provided more contact with local people (well, there are simply more people), continuously beautiful scenery and lots of variety in only nine days. Both had excellent food, wine and accommodation. I think I have probably seen enough of Namibia for the moment, but I will definitely be returning to South Africa. In the meantime, let’s hope both countries manage to sort out their various problems – the local people deserve a better future.

That’s all for now – Trouspinet

21st November 2023 0

Three Different Faces of Cape Town

Today I saw three very different aspects of Cape Town. The day started with a tour of Langa, Cape Town’s first township. Our arrival was delayed by nearly ninety minutes as the guide and his driver searched frantically and ineptly around the city for the remaining tour participants, in a performance worthy of Laurel and Hardy. Fortunately, we managed to arrive at Langa intact, without having killed anyone, despite our driver ignoring several no entry signs and nearly hitting a pedestrian on a crossing .

Our first stop was the township’s museum, where the curator was impossibly enthusiastic and told us more about the history of the place in a rapid, sometime confusing, babble. Langa was the Cape Town’s first township, where black people were forced to live, segregated from whites. The conditions they lived in were close to slavery, with dozens of black men sharing single sex dormitory accommodation in order to work for white businesses. Every black had to carry a “dompas” which allowed them to travel; it had to be renewed every two weeks. The hated dompas was the focus of the first demonstrations against the Apartheid system, which had been introduced by the National Party in 1948. Further demonstrations flared up over the decades, each time being suppressed violently by the police. Apartheid continued until the 1990s, until the South African President FW de Clerk realised that minority white rule was unsustainable, released Nelson Mandela from prison and allowed coloured people to vote in elections.

A “White’s Only” sign on a bench, with the curator’s son

The township had many different types of housing. At one end of the scale, there were shanty houses built out of corrugated iron. People living here had to borrow electricity from neighbours and get water from a pump outside.

The lived in the hope that the government would need the land they occupied and would then build them a proper house, like the mid-range accommodation that made up most of the township….

At the top end, the township had an area nicknamed “Beverly Hills” with very nice modern houses. These were given to people like teachers or nurses who had worked for the government for a long time. They even had brilliant views over Cape Town.

Our guide assured us that there was very little crime in Langa. The fancy houses in Beverly Hills were not a source of resentment, but one of inspiration, where people could see what was possible if they worked. Walking around the streets, the atmosphere was very friendly and relaxed. Lots of people came to greet our guide, who seemed to know almost everyone. One resident came to embrace one of our group, because he was wearing a South Africa rugby shirt. Lots of children would approach us and spontaneously hug their white visitors.

Langa certainly seemed to be a friendly community, which had become a pleasant place to live – overcoming tough obstacles on the way. Its residents were proud to be there. However, our guide told us that many other townships were not like this, with many suffering from rule by criminal gangs and harsher poverty than what we had seen in Langa.

Our trip ended – inevitably – in a building housing several art galleries, selling painting, carved wooden goods or ceramics. The owner of the latter business told me about the difficulties of operating with unreliable power supply – like all of South Africa, Cape Town experiences scheduled power cuts of two to three hours per day, called “load shedding”.

After the township tour, I set off to see two other areas of Cape Town. The first was Bo-Kaap, the city’s oldest surviving residential area, dating from the mid-18^th century. The area is famous for its brightly coloured houses.

Many of the people who live here are descendants of Muslim workers who arrived from southeast Asia over a century ago, and the area has many mosques.

Lots of Palestinian flags in this Muslim area

There were a few people hanging around on the street corners. One group shouted a greeting to me and, relaxed after my visit to the friendly Langa township, I replied to them. Another person walking nearby whispered to me urgently. “Don’t talk to them” he said. “They will try to steal your phone”.

From Bo-Kaap, I walked to the City Bowl area – the heart of Cape Town. This is the main business area, and has shops, restaurants, high rise buildings (not quite skyscrapers though) and lots of top end hotels. By day, it was a pleasant and obviously affluent area, with people strolling from café to café. I soon found the Company’s Garden, which is the city’s oldest green space. It was set up by the East India Company in 1652 to grow fruit and vegetables for the fledgling Cape Town colony. In the following century it was transformed into ornamental gardens, and became famous around the world. On this late Sunday afternoon, centuries later, it was full of people enjoying the collections of exotic trees and flowers or just sitting on the grass. Couples enjoyed picnics together, parents played with their children, and at least one marriage was being celebrated.

Memorial to Smuts and the National Art Gallery

I walked through to the west end of the garden, where there was an open area, with a few monuments and the national art gallery. There were also a lot of homeless people stretched out on the grass. As the sun began to set, the shadows in the gardens lengthened. A sudden transition occurred. The happy, relaxed crowd I had seen earlier rapidly disappeared leaving behind the homeless and beggars. The remaining visitors walked faster, and looked around frequently. I followed suit, and walked quickly back to my hotel via the local shop, where I brought some excellent springbok paté and wine for dinner. I ate this on the roof terrace of my hotel, contemplating the day’s events, and my good fortune in life compared to many of the other people I had seen today.

20th November 2023 1

Cape Town -an unplanned hike with amazing views

Today my original plan was to visit the Botanical Gardens and then explore the City Bowl area of Cape Town’s centre. I reached the Kirstenbosch Gardens without problem by taxi. They are among the oldest botanical gardens in the world, being founded in 1903, and sit in a magnificent setting at the foot of Table Mountain.

Kirstenbosch Gardens have an amazing location

The gardens showcase a collection of typical South African flora, of which I particularly liked the cycads.

Me with a cycad, a type of plant that first appeared when dinosaurs roamed the earth

They also had some pretty walkways, shaded by trees, that provided protection from the hot morning sun.

When I reached the eastern edge of the garden, I saw an intriguing sign to “Skeleton Gorge”. I remembered that this was one of routes to climb Table Mountain. It was not part of my plan for the day, and I was not equipped for walking, since I had town shoes on my feet, and no cold weather clothing. But despite the lack of preparation, I could not resist and set off on a path that led steeply upwards.

After climbing fifty minutes, I reached the “table” of Table Mountain – the place where the ground becomes flat(tish). There were great views back over Cape Town, and an intriguing small lake surrounded by sand.

Table Mountain is home to a small, sandy lake

I had more walking to do – first another forty minutes to find the highest point on the mountain, Maclear’s Beacon, and then another forty minutes to the upper cable car station. The weather had become cloudy, but the sun broke through occasionally to light up more amazing views and stop me getting cold. There were also lots of pretty flowers, including some proteas.

On top of Table Mountain – pretty flowers, amazing views…

At Maclear’s Beacon, the clouds became thicker and a strong wind gusted. I knew I was not equipped for such conditions and hurried onwards, occasionally stopping to take some atmospheric photos of the scenery.

I finally reached a crossroads, at a place I knew was near the cable car station. The signs were not clear, and the mountain was now covered in thick mist. I took what I thought was the right path, but it continued for longer than I expected, finally reaching a sign saying “This is not an easy way down”. I was cold and confused but was saved by two girls walking up towards me. They told me that this was the “Indian Fenster” route, which had been a tough climb for them and would be an even harder descent for me. I had gone the wrong way. I retraced my steps with the girls and found the junction where I had gone wrong earlier. This time, I could just make out another path in the mist. It was lined with posts and chains, and had to be the way to the cable car. I jogged along to warm up a bit, and on arrival headed straight to the café to order a hot chocolate.

The ride down in the cable car gave more opportunities for photos. The cabin had a revolving floor, so that everyone could get to see the full range of views over Cape Town and back to the mountain itself.

Back at ground level I stood in the sun for a bit to warm up, and then ordered a taxi back to my flat. It had been a memorable day, even if I had to have a long hot shower to recover from the cold weather on the mountain. My visit to Kirstenbosch and Table Mountain had confirmed that Cape Town is indeed one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

19th November 2023 0