An interesting fact is that the King Protea isn't only grown for export in South Africa, but also in New Zealand, Australia and even Hawaii! If you're interested in reading more about Proteas - or in fact about South African flora in general - visit the PlantZAfrica website. The site's pretty dated, but if you'd excuse it's '90s design there's plenty of information that you may find very useful. :)
I'm not saying that money, and the beautiful things that one's able to purchase or do with it, can change unhappy situations (like a bad marriage or a crummy job) into happy ones. What I am saying is that while money can't fix unhappy situations it can, in some way, buy happiness.
If you're wondering why I'm being so philosophical - this is the thought I had after visiting the beautiful Victoria Bathrooms shop that I mentioned in my previous post. :)
After being chastised by the owner of Voila (a restaurant at The Cape Quarter) for taking photos of his cake display we moved on and discovered the most delightful bathroom shop in The Cape Quarter that eroded my annoyance at first sight.
While modern bathrooms are nice, the Victorian bathroom accessories sold by Victorian Bathrooms are just so much more. Kerry-Anne and I fell in love with far too many items in this beautiful shop. The only problem is the price tag that comes with such timeless quality! However, if you're able to afford it you have to visit! (Even if you simply want to enjoy looking - the shop assistants are fantastically friendly, so pop in to take a look.)
Something that we were delighted to discover is that Victorian Bathrooms sell a special (and hard-to-find) brand of tea that Kerry-Anne fell in love with in Paris - Mariage Frères. I'm guessing that the rationale for selling this tea is that it draws discerning clients to the shop - and this quality French tea is a perfect fit for the bathroom accessories found at Victorian Bathrooms.
Taken from the Mariage Frères website:
Mariage Frères has turned to an almost
forbidden fruit, candied chestnuts,
to compose its 'Red Autumn' tea.Notes of noble chestnuts candied with sugar and Bourbon vanilla are sustained
by a mild, grassy green tea, creating
a new chapter in the history of taste.Too good to be true - but true!
Doesn't that sound wonderful?
The bright-white decor gives Miss K has a fantastic light and open feeling that's perfectly suited to day-time visits. We visited for their buffet lunch which consisted of various salads and the most fantastic rare beef. The buffet never had a huge selection of dishes, so I took a little of everything - and I have to say that the combination of flavours was awesome!
What sealed the lunch as perfect was at tall, dark, Lindt chocolate milkshake at the end! :) Miss K; certainly worth a visit!
Am I alone in this, or is there anyone else who lives in suburban Cape Town who also thinks that it would be awesome to have a well-kept, but completely Fynbos and wildflower garden instead of manicured grass, popular shrubs and flowers?
The actual reason for my ascent was to see the multitude of flowers that have sprung up all over the hill. I took the walk just after lunch time, and while (as you may know) the light isn't great for photos around that time of day, it's great for viewing the flowers!
I spent a little while observing the tower before taking this shot. Don't you think it offers a little more interest than this, more traditional photo? :)
This tower is one of the radio and microwave towers on top of Tygerberg Hill. To be honest though, that's only my assumption. I'm not clued up enough to know for sure what the receivers and/or transmitters on this tower are used for. Do you know? Please leave a comment to let us know.
Over the next two or three days I'll share with you the reason for my ascent to the top of Tygerberg Hill. :)
The sign may not look that large in this photo, but did you notice the huge advert for the iPhone 4 against the side of the building on the left? That poster looks absolutely huge when viewed from your car on Eastern Boulevard. Because it's located next to a part of the road where lanes merge and traffic is accelerating out of the city, I find it dangerously distracting - especially if the advert is particularly eye-catching.
I've actually erected a mental block, forcing myself not look at the sign when traveling along that stretch of road!
Although the fairly large gondola is said to take 8 passengers, don't believe them - unless of course you're one of 8 skinny teenagers. :) I'd guess that you'd rather more comfortably seat 6 people in one of these air conditioned cabins... again, unless of course you're 6 boerseuns * from Pretoria!
The ride around and around and around was extremely smooth, and very pleasant. It's clear that the workmanship leveraged to build this wheel was of the best quality and that the mechanics are well looked after - unlike the rides that I remember going on at the various fairs that I visited as a kid.
Speaking of fairs - remember the rides at the Goodwood Show Grounds? Check this pic out!
* Afrikaners sometimes tend to have huge, burly, sons and the word boerseuns is an affectionate term for these. You could literally translate the word as "farmer's sons".
Two days ago I posted a photo of a sign that is located inside the gondolas of The Wheel of Excellence, found just outside of the V&A Waterfront. This photo of the city was taken as we were reaching the apex of the wheel - isn't the view just superb?
Speaking of the V&A Waterfront... there's a competition that (I'm sure you'll agree) you have to enter. The prizes range from helicopter flips, to cruises, complimentary dinners and even an overnight stay in a Marina apartment. To win all that you have to do is take a photo and write a short story telling what you love best about the Waterfront. Check out the full list of prizes and submit your entry here.
I'm sure it's needless to say that if you win the dinner-with-friends or the private movie screenings you'll be obliged to invite Kerry-Anne and myself along. ;)
Although the little bit that I saw was awesome, unfortunately the weather never played along so we were rained out by around mid day! Fortunately for you (if you're in Cape Town, that is) rain isn't forecasted for Friday and Saturday, however rain is set to dampen Sunday visitors - so be there early this weekend! :)
Our friends from the USA may like to know that 11 of your country's USAF air crafts have landed at Ysterplaat to join in with the expo. Although... I just think they're keeping an eye on us. ;)
If you've been to London or Paris, or if you've been here you may recognise the sign. Where was this photo taken?
Although I may have exaggerated a little calling it "fierce", I'm not pulling your leg - Jolly Roger is a pirate boat with a pirate crew and is generally seen sailing young land lubbers out into Table Bay for adventurous birthday parties or similarly celebratory occasions. The little trip costs anywhere between R50 and R200 per person, depending on the time of day, the package that you purchase, and the size of your shoe. (Hint: People wearing kids shoes pay a whole lot less than those wearing adult-size shoes.)
Between the plundering of defenseless ships in Table Bay you'll find the murderously cruel crew with the moored Jolly Roger at the V&A Waterfront's quay 5 - close to Sevruga and just outside of the V&A Shopping mall. Visit this pirate map to find the gap where the Jolly Roger should be moored. (I guess it was out plundering when the satellite made it's turn over the Waterfront!)
I think this guy was fine - but it's not always the case. Although one falls into water, the amount of danger you're in when coming off your board depends on the depth of water the possibility of collision with immovable or hard objects - like the seabed, rocks, a surfboard, large marine life, and other surfers. If you're starting off with surfing, I suggest you read this commonsense guide to surviving a wipeout.
Perhaps on the lighter side - I found a post in the Surfing Waves forum suggests the following to be the greatest losses surfers experience:
You spend all your money.
You lose your job because your looking at charts all day.
You lose all your friends 'cos you'll never commit to doing anything at the weekend.
You lose your girl/boy friend cos you smell all the time.
You become obsessed and irrational.
You turn into a miserable git when you dont get your swell fix.
This is perhaps an exaggeration, but surfers, how accurate would you say the quote is?
Take a look here at a few more surfing photos taken on this outing to Mouille Point (map).
Our boogie-boarder friend stood observing the water for a while before venturing in. It's good to have a healthy dose of respect for the ocean - it's able to turn nasty fast!
This particular part of Mouille Point is right next to large concrete breakwater walls against which the ocean waves relentlessly thud, sending sprays of water and foam flying into the air. The boogie-boarder carefully watched the way the ocean was moving to find the most efficient route by which he could reach his surfer-friends who were about 100m away at the time (map).
Besides for experiencing the weather yourself, you know it's a great day in Cape Town when you hear the buzz of microlights in the air. The winds in Cape Town get so strong, gusty and difficult to predict that I've never seen a microlight or hang-glider out except on beautiful, clear and mostly-windless days.
If you'd like to take a microlight flip in Cape Town take a look at Aquila Microlight Safaris - from their site it looks like it'll cost you between R500 and R1000. I've never taken a trip with them, so I can't vouch for the experience, but I can only imagine that you'd get some great photos from the open-air cockpit of a microlight!
I did some hunting around and I can't seem to find anywhere that one's able to hire a microlight in Cape Town, so for the moment taking a flip as a passenger may be your only option. If you do know of a place, please be so kind as to leave a comment on this post.
If you're keen on attending flower shows, consider taking a day trip to Tulbagh (map) to see the Tulbagh Horse and Wildflower Show from 22 to 25 September. The show comprises the National Horse Championships along with the natural wildflower exhibition and will more than certainly have food stalls, a beer garden and plenty of arts and crafts stalls.
Email Elsa Rix or call her on 023 230 0189 for further details. Visit Tulbagh Toursim's website for more information about this old town of the Cape.
Kerry-Anne recently bought a two-for-the-price-of-one Wakame sushi voucher from Twangoo, and graciously invited me to tag along to enjoy a sushi platter. Wakame's one of our favoured restaurants in Cape Town (Mouille Point, to be exact) so we were bound to enjoy the delectable treats prepared by what, we assumed, must be the best Japanese chefs in the country.
However, what I discovered was that the sushi chefs weren't Japanese at all. Even though the sushi was cut to precision, kept its form impeccably (even after being manhandled by my chopsticks), and tasted exquisite - it turns out that they were crafted by the very-black-and-decidely-not-Japanese gentlemen on the right of this photo!
Congrats to Marius for, in my last post, guessing correctly that the lights were from Wakame. :)
If you're sure that you've seen these lights before, leave a message here and name the restaurant! :)
You may have heard about people such as the "National Director of Public Prosecutions" in the much publicised cases against various politicians and high-powered businessmen. The National Director is the top prosecutor in our judicial system supported by a hierarchy comprising the Deputy National Director, Directors, Deputy Directors and finally the Public Prosecutors mentioned in this photo.
Given who these people are I'd say that it's better than one takes heed of the sign and doesn't park on this side of the road. :)
Perhaps it interests you to know that there are about 366 magisterial districts and main magistrates’ offices - and about 1906 magistrates in South Africa; which I guess is a great number of people who on a daily basis have to make difficult decisions over other peoples lives. I guess then it's not strange that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is trying to (or by this time may have) implement an amendment to the Magistrates' Courts act which would make stricter the criteria for appointing magistrates.
Basically the draft bill would require candidate magistrates to have a higher qualification than what is currently accepted and in addition specifically details requirements such as "competence, diligence, dignity and social standing". While not being a reflection on our 1906+ magistrates - I can't say that this would be a bad bill to have passed!
Besides for the Central Library, South Africa has two national libraries who've been mandated to "collect and preserve public documents and make the accessible" - according to their website. The one is in Pretoria and the other is in our beautiful Cape Town - near the Company Gardens. We're certainly going to have to visit this treasure chest in Queen Victoria Street soon!
Well, we've visited and were it not that we were there too late in the day to open a membership, Kerry-Anne would have walked away with armfuls of books! We're use to our smaller suburban libraries - so the visit to this multi-level, multi-room library was quite something. So, if you're a book-lover person - check out this map and be sure to visit!
I even found a section that contained comic books - like Superman and Batman - right next to the Photography section! How perfect! :D
Even though it's commonly spoken in our Western and Eastern Cape provinces, when considered in a global context, Xhosa is a relatively small language. What I was happy to find out is that there's a Xhosa edition of Wikipedia available! While it is a relatively small edition, with only 115 articles at the time of writing this post, it was once explained to me that it's a major step towards documenting what the Xhosa elders have through the centuries passed on to their children by word of mouth only.
I found this interesting and alternative usage of an abbreviated form of the word, and although I doubt it's legitimacy I found the dialogue at the bottom of the text terribly entertaining. :)
They have no Wikipedia page and their www.wooltru.co.za site doesn't work and hasn't been indexed by Google. With the exception of a handful of financial articles on fin24.com there really doesn't seem to be much information that someone like myself (who is largely ignorant when it comes to cash shells, reverse takeovers, and other business strategies) would find useful.
Please, if you know more than I do, would you mind leaving a comment to explain what Wooltru is about and how this all works?
Many people would jump at the chance of having everything be pristine and new, but don't you think the City would lose some of it's character if, in some way, it were possible that all these building would be restored?
However, I'm torn in two because there's plenty of room for improving the City's surrounding suburbs - and while I'm all for beautifying and uplifting rundown areas, I'd hate to lose all the history reflected in these walls.
Do you have any idea what this could mean, or do you think the artist wasn't an artist, or expressionist, at all?
This, my dear friends, is my latest discovery and the answer to the question posed a couple of posts back - the Eastern Food Bazaar (map). A colleague recommended the place, so on this particular day, while in the area, I decided pay them a visit.
The concept is that you browse the half-a-dozen stalls, inspecting each for what your tummy desire. Once you've memorised your list you pay for the meal at one of two pay points (at the same time specifying if you'd like the food in a take-away container) and then receive in return a printed slip that lists what you've purchased. This slip you present at each of the stalls in exchange for the food you've purchased.
Three things about the visit impressed me. The first thing was how clean each food stall was; the second was how friendly everyone working there was; and the last was how large the portions were - given that most curries were priced between R25 and R30, with the most expensive being R35 (excluding rice and naan)!
In terms of the quailty of the meal - it was great. The Rogan Josh that I had was fairly hot, and I guess the only point that I could criticize the meal on is that there were more bones than I'd expected. However, Indian curries rely on bones for flavour - and for R30 I'd be hard-pressed to feel cheated. :)
Don't you just love this wooden décor? While it wouldn't suite our house I think it's awesome. Take a close look at the woodwork and imagine a family crowded around a piece of wood, carving out every detail by hand. I kid you not, much of this type of furniture is made by mom, dad and their children.
I find myself thinking of this both as wonderful and sad at the same time. While this kind of family work may instill a great sense of unity it's sad that in many parts of the world kids aren't left to be kids for very long. All too soon the practice of having to earn one's keep become a reality.
The clue however was in the phrase "refreshingly different take-away lunch" - a category which I'm afraid I wouldn't place the Woolworths restaurant into. In this photo is another clue to where I bought lunch. Besides for this till, take note of the left top corner of the photo.
You'll find this place very close to the Woolworths restaurant.
