First World Problems

 

Day 3

Rough Start – Strong Finish

As we are adjusting to time zones and lots of moving around Cape Town (note: two words), at least one person in our group is adjusting to sleep patterns. It was one solid, uninterrupted night’s sleep when my alarm went off early this AM. What was surprising to me was that my room was pitch black – I mean like deep in a cave. I was surprised because I usually leave a bathroom light on (or something) and there is usually light from a crack in the curtains. But alas, it is winter here and sunrise is not until 7:52am, and the hotel is being unsuccessful in its “load sharing.”

Load Sharing is a way of life in South Africa. The country’s growing need for power is outstripping its ability to generate electricity and upgrade its electrical grid. So, 2/3rds of the time the electricity is on and 1/3^rd of the time it is not. The load sharing is a rolling black-out across the city and country so that certain sections of the city/country have the power turned off while others operate on the grid. For those without power from the grid they do one of two things: (1) they tough it out, or (2) they have their own generators.

So, business (especially those geared toward medicine, food and tourism) do this routinely … well sort of routinely until a generator fails. And that’s what happened to us this morning. When our hotel went on load sharing early this morning, the generator failed so the hotel was plunged into complete darkness. Thank goodness for lights on cell phones!! Now, what to do?

Maria knocked on my door and we went to the lobby/restaurant and they were serving breakfast (only cold items on a continental buffet) by candlelight. How romantic! If only they had mimosas. We decided that I would go across the street to the mall and visit our local McDonalds (you can only avoid them for so long), but alas, nothing in the mall opens until 9am. Well, I guess we “tough it out” and eat a continental breakfast by candlelight (what a first world problem!). No sooner than we made that decisions and headed to the restaurant and the lights came on! So, the staff reacted quickly and got the hot breakfast “machine” up and running, resulting in omelets etc.

Our first event of the day was a trip to Robben Island, which is like the American version of Alcatraz, an island for prisoners. There was a “short” 30 minute boat ride to the island, and let’s just say that once we left the harbor, the seas were being whipped into a frenzy by a ferocious wind. Another rough start to the day! Many on the boat did not fare well. How bad was it? Shortly after we landed on the island, we learned that all other tours for the day were cancelled. I suspect even the Captain got sea-sick!! Here is a view of Cape Town from Robben Island with Table Mountain enshrouded in a halo of clouds.

As noted, Robben Island was a prison, but it also held political prisoners, most notably Nelson Mandela. The conditions there and the treatment of the black political prisoners who fought apartheid was nothing short of dehumanizing. Nelson spent 18 years there is a small, solitary cell for 23 hours a day - no toilet, just a bucket. How that man emerged as the President of the country after his release as well as his steadfast courage and insistence on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a way to peacefully move the country ahead are nothing short of heroic and understandably worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. His journey is remarkable and inspiring but too long to tell here. [Side Note: int he 450 year history of Robben Island being some form of penal colony - for slaves, criminals, political dissidents - only 3 people ever 'escaped.' One was killed when he got to the mainland; one was caught when he landed on the beach on the mainland and returned immediately; one got away!]

The boat ride back was filled with anticipation (not the good kind) and some passengers cried as they boarded the boat. But, hey, it was the only way back. We cruised with the wind this time, and many were more prepared for the rough seas, so it was somewhat tolerable.

After lunch from McDonald's (we needed a fast lunch and, well, it's unavoidable), next was the wine tour to the wine region near Cape Town. Our driver told us that wine was discovered/invented in Iran some 7000 years ago near the city of Shiraz (sound familiar?). A quick fact check seems to validate that story! Who knew? Anyway, we went to Paarl and the Fair View Winery. What a really cool place! 

While the adults did wine tasting paired with the perfect cheese, the kids got water and soft drinks. It turns out that Connor became a connoisseur for tasting and comparing lemonades! What a sophisticated 10 year old! We also discovered a local berry unique to SA – the nastergal berry (or colloquially the ‘night shade’ berry). It was made into a jam that we used to dip our cheeses. Holy smokes!!! It was really good. Something like a cross between a blueberry and a black raspberry. We got a couple of bottles of wine and as much nastergal berry jam as we could afford and pack in a bag.

   

Back at our hotel we all slept off the many glasses of wine that we sampled (they were generous with their pours!), and then were ready for … guess what? … more food! We went to an authentic South African restaurant called Karibu, which we found out has won many awards for its lovely (there’s that word again) African cuisine. It did not disappoint as we had, among other things, the Safari Plate that included pumba (warthog) sausage, pumba and wagyu sausage, impala, kudu (spiral horned antelope), springbok (another antelope), ostrich and beef. We had lots of other goodies - appetizers and side dishes (e.g., chakalaka; you’ll have to look up this delicacy). After we filled our bellies, we chatted with our server, Tinashe from Zimbabwe, and went to the hotel for a good night’s rest.