Author Archives: Kerry-Anne

The Dirty Skirts: Summer Sunset Concert at Kirstenbosch

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The Dirty Skirts at Kirstenbosch

Summer Sunset concerts at Kirstenbosch are always great, and this week's concert was no exception - the weather was perfect, our picnic was yummy, and The Dirty Skirts played an awesome set. These guys are amazingly talented: they have a really original sound, and, as a bit of bonus for the girls, they make for good eye-candy too. :)

This was the band's first time playing at Kirstenbosch, and I sure hope it won't be their last. If you've never been to one of the Summer Sunset concerts at Kirstenbosch, you should really fix that. There are still a few concerts this season; you can have a look at the schedule here.

We'll be posting more photos of the concert later in the week (of the crowd too, so even if you're not actually one of The Dirty Skirts, you might see yourself here...), so do check back then. And if you really can't wait until then, you can have a look at some photos we took of The Dirty Skirts in concert late last year.

Green Point Stadium construction site

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Green Point stadium construction

I must be honest, I'm not too sure how you'd enter if you wanted to - the holes in that fence look pretty tiny to me. But still, nice of them to warn us that it's a construction area... because I'm not sure that the cranes there in the background were quite enough of a clue on their own. :)

By the way, if you're in Cape Town and you'd like to get a closer look at the stadium, visit the Green Point Stadium Visitors' Centre website to find out about the tours and experiences that are available. Paul and I will definitely be making a turn there ourselves very soon...

Night-time view of Beach Road in Mouille Point

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Beach Road in Mouille Point at night

On Wednesday we showed you the view from Wakame; this photo was taken from the same section of the restaurant (the upstairs bar area), but facing in a slightly different direction (looking up Beach Road, towards the lighthouse and Sea Point). And it was at night, of course. ;-)

We don't often find ourselves in this area on a weeknight, and so we were very surprised to see just how busy this part of the Atlantic Seaboard was. We had to drive around the block quite a few times to find parking - pretty impressive, considering it was 8pm on a Thursday...

Matt Damon riding in the Cape Argus Cycle Tour!

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Matt Damon riding in the Cape Argus Cycle Tour
As I was working through my photos from yesterday's Cape Argus Cycle Tour, I discovered that I'd quite unwittingly managed to snap a photo of Matt Damon! That's him, on the back of the tandem, just to the right of the motorbike. (His brother Kyle, an experienced athlete, was apparently occupying the front saddle of the tandem.)

Matt is here in Cape Town to film The Human Factor, a Clint Eastwood film about the 1995 Rugby World Cup. And it turns out he's a brave guy - he took part in the race despite having suffered a sprained ankle during a rugby practice session on Thursday. (He'll be playing the role of former Springbok rugby captain Francois Pienaar in the film, by the way.)

In case you missed yesterday's post, you can see more photos of the Cycle Tour in our 2009 Cape Argus Cycle Tour album.

Mobile greengrocers

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Roadside fruit-sellers
If you drive around Cape Town's suburbs or out into the winelands, you are bound to come across guys like these selling fresh fruit at the side of the road or at an intersection.

I don't often buy from them, but not because I think their produce is no good or their prices are too high (to be honest, I couldn't tell you how their prices compare to those of the supermarkets). It's really just a personal preference - because of the way my mind works, I find it easier to buy all my groceries in one place. Perhaps I should make a little pact with myself to buy something from the next roadside fruit-seller I see, just for the experience. :-)

One thing I do know, from being invited to buy their products when I'm stopped at the traffic lights, is that the first price they quote you is very seldom the price they actually expect you to pay. Most times, when I indicate that I don't want to buy, they'll immediately drop their price, saying something like, "Today, just for you, I'll make it TWO for [insert original price here]." So next time I think I'll take them up on that Special Deal that's Just For Me and Only For Today. ;-)

The best place to be in a heatwave…

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Escalators

... is in an air-conditioned shopping mall, of course. The temperature here has been hovering around 38 degrees Celsius for the last two days (for our overseas readers, that's equivalent to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit). In a word: HOT. This kind of heat is stifling and extremely draining, and there's really very little one can do to keep cool. Escape is the best option. :)

Onward and upward

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Spiral staircase

Believe it or not, Cape Town Daily Photo turned two yesterday, and we almost forgot all about it! It was only when we heard that it was South African social media site Zoopy.com's second birthday today that we remembered that it was ours too. Since we really love and admire the team over at Zoopy, I stopped by their offices to drop off some age-appropriate birthday goodies this afternoon. They in turn gave me as much cake as I could eat... and then some more to take home. :) (Here's a photo to prove it.)

I almost can't believe that we've been running this blog for two years already. It really does seem like just a few months ago that we were so warmly welcomed into the City Daily Photo community, following our first post. And just so you know, we have no intention of stopping any time soon - certainly not while there is still so much of this beautiful city left to explore.

(By the way, in case you're puzzling over what to give us as a birthday gift, nominations have opened for the 2009 South African Blog Awards. I'm just saying. ;-) )

A koi pond

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A Koi pond

I've never been much into fish (as pets, I mean - I'm quite fond of a nice piece of seared tuna :P ). I prefer my pets to have fur, generally. But koi fish seem to have become very popular in South Africa - according to the people at Happy Koi, we have the ideal climate for keeping them.

Probably because I've never been much into fish, I didn't actually know that koi are simply a domesticated version of the common carp. I also didn't know that goldfish are a domesticated version of the Prussian carp. I suppose everyone else knew this, though, right?

This particular koi pond is located at Lovane Boutique Wine Estate, which was the subject of yesterday's post.

If you need a party or conference venue in Stellenbosch…

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Lovane Wine Estate

If you've been reading Cape Town Daily Photo for a while, then you might recall us mentioning something called a GeekDinner once or twice before. Normally these dinners happen at a restaurant in the city or the southern suburbs, but last night we held the very first Stellenbosch GeekDinner at Lovane Boutique Wine Estate, located just outside Stellenbosch on the M12.

Please don't read on if you're hungry right now, because you'll just end up hating me. Don't say I didn't warn you. ;-)

Dinner was a-ma-zing. For starters we had fresh beetroot slices filled with goat's cheese; the main course was a buffet of sirloin steak, creamy mushroom sauce, potato slices, baby marrows, carrots, butternut ravioli and walnut salad; and the dessert was an unbelievably moreish helping of homemade toffee/fudge/vanilla ice-cream. The steak had been cooked on an open fire, with some sort of lemongrass basting, and it was done to absolute perfection. I actually don't have enough adjectives to tell you just how good this meal was.

Lovane is a really beautiful place too, both inside and out. We even got taken on a tour of the cellar (which is where this photo was taken, of course), where we learnt a little bit about the process of winemaking.

If you're looking for a party or conference venue in the winelands, I can certainly suggest Lovane. Great service, a really lovely setting, and excellent food... what more could you want?

Cape Cobras: 2009 Standard Bank Pro20 champions!

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Cape Cobras win the Pro20 Cricket Series

Yes, it's true! The Cape Cobras are the Standard Bank Pro20 cricketing champions at last! More than 16,000 Capetonians packed Sahara Park Newlands this evening to cheer their team to victory as they played the Gestetner Diamond Eagles (that's Bloemfontein's team) in the Pro20 final. As one of the Standard Bank live-bloggers, I got to watch the final from the very swanky Achiever Box at Newlands - think chic decor, beautiful waitresses, a full bar, comfy couches, a party atmosphere, and a perfect view of the cricket...

More Pro20 goodies:

It was quite a weekend for Cape Town sports fans, by the way. Not only did the Cobras take the Pro20 series, but our local rugby team, the Stormers, managed to eke out a very welcome victory over the Queensland Reds on Friday night, in their Super14 match played at Newlands Rugby Stadium.

Don’t even think about stopping

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No-stopping sign

In the background of this photo you can see the arches of the Provincial Legislature Building, which houses the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. The building is located in Wale Street, more or less opposite Mandela Rhodes Place.

If you see a sign like the one in the foreground, it means that you cannot stop your vehicle at the side of the road - even if it's just to pick someone up or drop someone off. This particular sign is a temporary one (they were doing some work at the side of the road and presumably didn't want anyone stopping while they were busy), but the markings on a permanently mounted No Stopping sign would be identical.

Mandela Rhodes Place

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Mandela Rhodes Place

Mandela Rhodes Place is an upmarket mixed-use development located in one of the oldest parts of the city (very close to the Company's Garden, in fact).

About four or five years ago the idea of inner-city living began to regain some popularity in Cape Town, and one of the most notable developments that originated during that period was Mandela Rhodes Place. The developers, Eurocape, restored several old buildings on the corner of Wale Street and Burg Street, the idea being to preserve the facades and historical architecture of these buildings, while entirely revamping the interiors.

Mandela Rhodes Place was launched in November 2006, and now houses a number of luxury apartments, a 5-star hotel, a winery, retail stores, restaurants, cocktail bars and coffee shops. I've only been there twice (at night on both occasions), but I must say, I love the atmosphere inside - it's quiet and stylish, with a real feeling of spaciousness.

The progress on Greenpoint Stadium

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Greenpoint Stadium

Paul took this photo on Friday while we were visiting with friends at their apartment in Granger Bay. What we didn't realise at the time was that the glass roof that will cover the stands (but not the actual pitch, apparently) is now on its way up, supported by a massive network of cables that are slowly being tightened. The roof weighs around 4,500 tons - that's a whole lot of elephants.

You can read more about the process involved in getting this roof up to where it needs to be on the Shine 2010 site, and you can see a whole bunch of great pictures from inside the stadium on the official City of Cape Town website.

Can you believe that we are just over a year away from the 2010 World Cup? The first round of ticket sales starts on Friday, and I must say, the reality of the awesome party that awaits us is starting to set in for me. If you're keen to get your hands on some tickets (and I can't see why anyone wouldn't be!), then read this official FIFA information on how tickets will be allocated.

Just another gorgeous day in Cape Town

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Devil's Peak
We Capetonians are under no illusions regarding this terrible burden we bear. Whenever we have days like this, we gripe quietly to one another about how terrible it is to live in this city, and what a tough job we have keeping this place going

Of course, we realise that someone has to do it. And since we're such good souls, we take this task upon ourselves without complaint, and make the best of it.

Yup, we do what we have to do... which, in summer, mostly involves watching stunning sunsets at the beach, drinking cocktails, spending the afternoon in the pool, braaiing with friends and walking on the mountain. *sigh* It's a tough life.

Greenery

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Greenhouse at Montebello

This is the greenhouse at the Montebello Design Centre (have a look at yesterday's post to see the signpost that points visitors here). It's apparently one of the oldest greenhouses in South Africa, and is now home to a nursery.

Do click on the photo to enlarge it so that you can see all the tiny treasures filling the greenhouse.

Egyptian geese

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Egyptian geese at Kenridge Dam
We went down to Kenridge Dam this evening for a mini-outing, just before sunset. We haven't been to this particular dam for quite some time, and I was stunned to see how tall the reeds have become and how much of the dam is now being taken up by them. They must be covering at least three-quarters of the dam already - I can't imagine that this is good for the dam's eco-system. These Egyptian geese looked quite happy waddling around on the banks though, so I'm guessing it's not affecting them too much (yet).

Partial eclipse of the sun

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Partial solar eclipse from Cape Town

Once every month, the moon moves in between the sun and the earth and casts a shadow; but most of the time the position of the moon's orbit relative to the earth's means that this shadow misses us entirely.

This morning, however, we got to see the first solar eclipse of 2009 (and the best one that will be visible from South Africa for several years). The eclipse was only partial, with a maximum coverage of about 65% visible from Cape Town just after 8am.

Of course, a partial eclipse doesn't mean darkness by any means, despite what you see in the photo - the sky was actually perfectly blue, but Paul took the photo using a very high shutter speed and small aperture. Everything seemed to take on a slightly paler, softer look, though, almost as though the earth and sky were covered with gauze.

And don't worry, no eyes were harmed in the making of this photo. ;-)

Update: Take a look at Justin Hartman's awesome shot of the eclipse. I love the colours of the swirling clouds - that'd look good on a canvas, don't you think?

Perdeberg has lost their zebra

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Walking Zebra

You might recall us mentioning the Perdeberg Winery in a few of our previous posts. Well, late last year we received a letter asking us to help out in the search for Perdeberg's missing zebra.

Apparently, so the story goes, Merlot the zebra vanished from the winery on 6 December. The next day a ransom note was found, in which the kidnapper demanded one case of wine a week for 12 weeks, or else Merlot stays missing for good.

The kidnapper promised to send through a clue leading to a new drop-off location each week, and apparently he's insisted that the public must get involved in solving these weekly clues. If you solve the week's clue correctly, you'll stand a chance of receiving a free case of Perdeberg wine yourself, plus there are discount vouchers and other promotional items up for grabs too.

So go and read all about Perdeberg's missing zebra, and make sure you get your answer to this week's clue in by 1pm on Friday to be in line to win.

Unfortunately for our international visitors, the competition is only open to South African residents. On another note, can anyone confirm what species of zebra this is? It appears to be a Burchell's zebra, but I'm not too well-versed in zebra identification, so I can't be 100% sure.

LNG ship at anchor

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Liquefied Natural Gas ship anchored near Sea Point
According to the Cape Ports website, the Celestine River, a ship just like this one, caused quite a fuss last year when it was anchored off Sea Point, as some people were concerned that it might explode...

According to the same site, the ships that lie at anchor off the coast like this (we see quite a few of them) are in fact empty, and so these fears were entirely unfounded.

"LNG" stands for Liquefied Natural Gas - natural gas is converted to liquid so that it can be transported, and then returned to its gaseous form once it reaches its destination, so that it can be piped.

This photo was taken from the promenade at Three Anchor Bay.

Cape Town Daily Photo Reloaded

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Cape Town in the World Version of Monopoly

Well, things do look a little different today, don't they? We've been stealthily working on the new version of Cape Town Daily Photo for a few months now, and let me tell you, it's been really tough keeping quiet about it. From the day I saw the first mockups that the wonderful Max Kaizen had designed for us, I knew that this new version was going to be worlds better than our old site.

We've thought and planned and tweaked and played and written and rewritten, and at last we're ready to unveil the basic structure and design of the new site. There's a whole lot more to come though: over the next few weeks we'll be adding quite a number of new pages and features, some specifically for tourists and those unfamiliar with the city, and some that will appeal to locals and regular visitors to Cape Town.

Thank you to everyone who has played a part in bringing this new version of the site into being; I think quite a few of you wouldn't even have been aware of the fact that you influenced our thinking in some way, but it's fairly certain that if I've had any kind of conversation with you about Cape Town Daily Photo over the past five or six months, you've played a part. So, thank you.

Now to the subject of today's photo... remember way back in August 2008 when it was announced that Cape Town had secured enough votes to appear in 3rd spot on the board of the new Monopoly World Version? Well, we finally got to play the new version of Monopoly on Saturday evening, and it was loads of fun, even though I didn't win. ;-) We thought this would be an appropriate photo for the official launch of Cape Town Daily Photo version 2, since we're Passing Go and all (I'm still hunting for the $2M we're supposed to collect, though). If you look carefully, you'll see the Cape Town property card in the front right of the shot.

The best beach in Cape Town

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Clifton 4th beach

I think by now you probably know that we're quite fond of the beaches along the Atlantic Seaboard (Camps Bay, Clifton, Llandudno). Our favourite of these is definitely Clifton 4th Beach. I don't think I need to say any more really - just take a look at the photo. Doesn't it look idyllic?

After the sun has set

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Dusk at Clifton 4th beach

We went down to Clifton 4th Beach this evening with a few friends. I wanted to do something to mark the one-year anniversary of my brother's death, but I wanted it to be happy and special, rather than sad and melancholy. So we took a picnic and spent a couple of hours watching the sky change colour after the sun had set.

The weather was sublime, and I even went for a swim (on my own, since no-one else had brought their costumes) just before it got completely dark. This is an experience I can totally recommend - if you live in Cape Town, you should do this at least once in your life.

It turned out to be a truly beautiful evening, spent with people I love - which is just what I'd wanted.

Bubble-people

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Aqua zorbing
I've always wanted to go zorbing in the hills of Rotorua in New Zealand - it's right up there with skydiving, learning French, and writing a book, on my list of lifetime goals. I was tempted to try this mini-version of zorbing at the V&A Waterfront on New Year's Eve, but I suspect it wouldn't have been quite as much fun as the real thing.

The kids that were playing in these giant plastic balls seemed to be having a pretty good time though, rolling and tumbling along on the surface of the water. Have you ever been zorbing? Is it as much fun as I think it would be?

The Cape Floral Kingdom

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The Cape Floral Kingdom
I have no idea what this pretty, fluffy little flower is, but if it weren't illegal to pick wild flowers, I'd certainly have gathered a few of these for my vase today.

The Cape Floral Kingdom is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and apparently has more plant species than the whole of Europe! According to Unesco, this area contains nearly 20% of Africa's flora, even though it covers less than 0.5% of the surface area of the continent.

Silent Night

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Silent Night
The Tyger Waterfront (across the road from Tyger Valley Centre in Bellville) doesn't have the vibe of the V&A Waterfront in the city - partly, I suppose, because of the fact that it's situated on a man-made lake rather than a working harbour, and partly because the night-life in the northern suburbs is not as bustling and concentrated as the night-life in the city centre and southern suburbs.

But what the Tyger Waterfront does have is a sense of quietness and tranquility - which we sorely needed after the rush of the festive season. We ate our dinner at the Cattle Baron Grill House, looking out across the perfectly still lake and watching the lights play gently on the water.

Jungle gym at the sea

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Jungle gym at the sea
According to Wikipedia jungle gyms (also known as climbing frames or monkey bars) are not very common anymore (presumably in the USA), as children were found to be injuring themselves by hitting their heads on the bars.

I guess we must have a more robust version of child here in Africa, because jungle gyms are still pretty ubiquitous in our parks. In fact, I think it's safe to say that almost every suburban playpark features a jungle gym among its attractions.

This particular jungle gym offers a pretty unusual view though, don't you think?

Bokkie says “Happy Christmas!”

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Bokkie says
Anyone who's lived in Cape Town for a number of years will instantly recognise Bokkie. Bokkie was the poster-child (or poster-animal, if you prefer) for an anti-bushfire campaign that originated in the 70s or 80s. I remember the posters being around when I was a little girl, which would have been in the early 80s.

These posters appeared on signboards in the vicinity of Table Mountain and around the South Peninsula. They featured Bokkie, with a single big tear rolling down his cheek, and the words 'Look what you've done! Bokkie says "Only you can prevent forest fires."' I was a terribly sensitive young thing, so seeing one of these posters always made me very sad...

I know of only one that still exists, somewhere near Scarborough if I remember correctly - or at least, it did last time we drove through there. If you know of any others, let us know by leaving a comment.

I spotted this miniature stylised version of Bokkie at the Montebello Design Centre, and bought it to hang on our Christmas tree.

The suburb of Sea Point

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The suburb of Sea Point
If you're not familiar with the area, this photo of a house in Sea Point could fool you into believing that Sea Point is a small, antiquated fishing village. Not so, of course. Sea Point is actually a sprawling coastal suburb filled with tall blocks of flats, a number of hotels and guesthouses, and plenty of busy restaurants.

In fact, Wikipedia indicates that Sea Point is the most densely populated suburb in Cape Town - and I can well believe that.

December Theme Day: Circles and Spheres

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December Theme Day: Circles and Spheres
The red stripes on this unusual round kite reminded me of the fact that it's World AIDS Day today. There are currently 33 million people living with HIV worldwide - and an estimated 5.5 million of those live in South Africa. Our new minister of health, Barbara Hogan, today encouraged men in particular to get tested in order to slow the spread of the disease. You can visit the website of the Treatment Action Campaign to learn more about the disease and find out what is being done to overcome this challenge in South Africa.

There are 187 blogs taking part in today's theme day. See how the theme has been interpreted around the world: click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Inter-continental blogger meetup

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Inter-continental blogger meetup
The International Marketing Council is hosting a group of US bloggers in South Africa at the moment, and taking them on a tour of some of the most interesting (and lesser-known, I think) sites across the country.

We had a chance to chat to a couple of them at a meetup event held at Asoka (the restaurant with the tree). It was great to hear their impressions and perceptions of South Africa, and I hope that they're going to have a fantastic time touring the country and learning what defines this nation.

You can follow the tour on the group's website, see their photos on Flickr, and watch their videos on Zoopy.

We got to speak to Ray Lewis of Down The Avenue, and Chris Morrison, who writes for Venture Beat - it was great meeting both of you, and we hope that the rest of your trip will be absolutely unforgettable!