My wake-up call
came on time. I lounged around and then
dressed and headed down for breakfast. I was a little disappointed that I ate
breakfast alone, but I wasn’t late.
We were scheduled
to leave for the Bo-Kaap otherwise known as Cape Malay at 8:45 and we were for
the most part on time. The Bo-Kaap is a
neighborhood close to downtown Cape Town and was a traditional “coloured”
neighborhood and heavily Moslem. The
houses are relatively small having two to two and half bedrooms. Apparently it
was traditional for these homes to be occupied by multigenerational families.
Our local guide
was a man named Mohamed who spoke about the composition of the neighborhood,
which is changing because of its close proximity to downtown Cape Town. The houses are being sold for relatively high
prices enabling the sellers to buy larger homes in suburbs further out from the
down town area.
We were taken
into a shop called Monkey Biz, which sells beaded items made by women in
traditional villages which enables them to earn money while staying home taking
care of their children. While the items
were pretty and well made, I did not purchase because I didn’t know who I could
give them to. They were too delicate for
my grandchildren.
Next we were
taken to the local community center, where Mohamed spoke about the history of
South Africa. It was well done, but I
was exhausted and kept falling asleep.
Our next stop was
in a spice shop which apparently has been in business for several
generations. We then went to the home of
a lady who had some of us (not me) assist with the cooking. The food was typical of the environment and I
enjoyed it. Unfortunately during lunch,
I managed to spill a glass of juice.
Leaving the
Bo-Kaap, we toured the downtown area of Cape Town. I found it interesting that it was advised
that we not wander around after dark. I
suspect that they have a serious crime problem which they are trying to
minimize.
View of main street in Bo-Kaap
In Bo-Kaap, Mohamed talking about the area
Local Mosque
Local Mosque
Colorful Houses in Bo-Kaap
Women working in Money Biz
Lunch in Bo-Kaap also known as Cape Malay
After we returned
to the hotel, Clare took me to the Waterfront where I was able to exchange
money. I was attempting to buy
souvenirs, but after a while, my foot was killing me and I headed back to the
hotel where I went to my room and passed out.
I did upload my pictures and updated my log.
Waterfront
It appears that I
won’t be going whale watching because of the bad weather. I had initially debated between whale
watching and going to the wineries so that I am not terribly upset.
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