Kirstenbosch

Having been to a few beaches already (there will be a "best of" later on the blog), I was wondering where the whites were going, as the beaches were mostly filled with coloureds and tourists. The reply is: at the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens. Having been invited for a brunch, I found that most lawn areas were occupied (dare I still use this word in this country...) by whites. It is a very relaxed atmosphere. On each Sunday afternoon, there is an open air concert. Always a very enjoyable experience.

On the slopes of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch hosts an immense variety of local plants. It has to be said that South Africa has a higher number of plant species than the whole of Europe.

Kirstenbosch is also the start of one route up Table Mountain. Hope to write an entry on that pretty soon. Will that be my first major sporting performance of the new year?

Rooibos

Still in the region north of Cape Town lies the Cederberg mountain range. In this area, and only in this area, grows a very special plant, called the Rooibos, used to make one of the best teas, free from caffeine. Master copiers, such as the Americans and the Australians, tried to make it grow in their country, unsuccessfully. Would you blame a plant accustomed to South African conditions not to want to grow on these alien soils?

What the Rooibos plant needs is dry summers, wet winters and well-drained non-acidic soils. There is only one sort of plant grown. It was used by the indigenous people for its medicinal properties and the whites started growing it and trading it in the early 1900s. The plant grows for 6 years, is harvested every year once its red branches turn green and then has to be replaced by new ones. In between two rows, oats need to be planted so as to combat deadly mushrooms.
The visit of this organic farm was very interesting, especially since it is now a globalised business. More than 90% of their production is exported, mostly to Europe. I was surprised to learn that more than 2/3 of their organic production is actually sold as "normal" tea. As it is an organic farm, it is regularly inspected by EU experts. They even inspect the houses of the employees. The guide was complaining that most seasonal workers (who are blacks) tend not to show up after having worked - and been paid - for a week. They would return only when their money would run out. He complained as well that his business did not receive any support from the government, because it is a "white" business. I should have pointed out that it is thanks to this new governement that export markets were opened and that international trade allows him to make such a profitable business.

Northern Cape

Of course, I had to stop to take this picture. My friend told me I was too "blog motivated". But I think this picture shows the diversity of South Africa, with the name of the province being spelled in the four official provincial languages. I must however say that I was surprised to experience how Afrikaans still is widely spoken in the villages, in the little towns, in the rural areas. There were many places where I could not even get a newspaper in English.

The other nice thing about this picture is that it shows the big open space and the harsh landscape. I like to travel on dirt roads in the heat. Nice feeling of freedom to be in the middle of nowhere.But the sea is always near. Very nice to cool down. And so popular. We took all our camping equipment to find out that the camping was fully booked for the next 12 nights! And by the sea, there is also an important bird colony. More than 15000 Cape garnets nidify here. The picture is nice, but you do not get the sound nor the smell. Lucky you.You probably notice that they all face the same direction. No, they are not oriented towards Mecca, rather they all face the wind. They can breath and cool down better. Ok, I have mentioned ''cooling down" again, so it is a signal that it is time for me to head for the pool. 35 degrees today.

Astronomy in Sutherland

In Sutherland, a little "dorpie" in the middle of a dry region, where the best lamb is produced by the way, is located the South African astonomical observatory. On a hill, there are 11 telescopes analysing light coming from various stars and from our sun. The observatory was relocated there in 1970s. It is a technological highlight inherited from the previous system, that managed to keep its hedge under the new political system.

All the telescopes are reflectors, collecting starlight with mirrors. Each mirror weighs around 100 kg. The size of the South African Large Telescope is 11 m, making it one of the largest in the world. It is also funded and utilised by researchers from countries such as Germany, India, Poland and the USA. On the picture, we see that one mirror is missing, probably to be polished.

What surprised me the most is the extremly low number of people employed on the site. Everything is done via computers. For example, one telescope automatically follows the sun throughout the day and it even shuts down when clouds pass by. All the data are sent to Japan. Our local guide, who comes from the coloured community, confirmed that very few people are employed as a direct result of the telescopes. Most of his classmates had to leave the community and find a job in Cape Town. It is also striking that this little town still has two very separated areas: one white and the other coloured. In the white area, there are quite a few B&Bs to cater for tourists wanting to visit the telescopes or wanting to see the snow. Sutherland is actually the coldest town in the country with -16 degrees. But I made sure to get there in summer!

National Parks

South Africa is also famously known for its national parks, in particular the Kruger and the Pilanesberg, but also the two parks of Mkuze and Hluhluwe/Umfolozi in Northern KwaZulu/Natal. These two parks contributed greatly in the conservation of the white rhinoceros. This specie was almost extinguished in the late 50s, whereas now there are more than 1800 between the two parks. I was very happy to see many of them, certainly more than 30 in total. Most of the time, they were enjoying a mudbath.

What I enjoy the most in these parks is that one drives his own car and chooses to go to this direction, to that water hole, up this hill and so on. There can be a surprise around every corner... as it happened this time when we came face to face with two hyenas. They had a terrible look on their face. This encouter happened right at the entrance of Hluhluwe, so I was not quick enough to take a good picture. It is a nice feeling to drive in a park and to go to the discovery of nature. In both parks, they also have hides. One is then allowed to get out of his car and walk towards a hide, overlooking a water hole.

It was then great to come accross nyalas. It is my favourite antilope. But as it is a shy one, it was not easy to get a good picture. I hope this one does justice to its kind.

Of course, a little round up of wild animal has to mention the impala, the most common but also the most recognisable antilope. I think it is still highly elegant.

Another must is the zebra. Who could tell if it is a male or a female? Well, the stripes of the male are black/white/black, whereas the ones of the female are white/black/white. Surely this tip helps you...

Then there is the giraffe. As a comment I would say that in South Africa, there is not need to be so tall to see that the weather is fine...

From the tallest to one of the smallest: here a nice picture of a warthog and his little one. Cute?

And since I am trying to advertise for South Africa, I have to put a picture of an elephant.

Good connoisseur of animal life would have noticed three ommissions, and those of symbols a further one. South Africa portrays itself as the land of the Big Five - elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard. I took a picture of a buffalo, but it is not so special, whereas I did not get the chance to see any lions or any leopards this time around. As for the last ommission, I am taking about the Springbok - the national symbol of the highly successful South African rugby team. Well, the springboks are not to be found in this area of the country. But you might get a chance for a picture later on. Keep watching this space.

All in all, we saw many other different species, such as hippos, kudus, wildebeests, duikers, monkeys and baboons.

Swaziland

Swaziland - a royal experience. What a welcome! About the "ultimate destination", I am less sure. Crossing the border was a much quicker and troublefree experience than what I remembered. Still it took more than 45 minutes to cross both borders. We still need to fill out a entry/departure card. Being used to crossing the border with France in less than 1 minute (even though Switzerland is not in a customs union with the EU, whereas Swaziland and South Africa are in the same customs union), one still has a feeling that the importance of the nation state puts sometimes too heavy a weight on already disadvantaged economies.


Swaziland tries to keep its specifity which is not an easy task when one is so close to the giant South Africa. The landscape is gentle, it is very green, the agricultural sector seems to be efficient. They were actually happy that their sugar export quota to the EU was increased and that they retained their export status for beef products. The people are quite laid back and verz few still weat the traditional dress.

I was also happy to update my collection of emalangeni, the local currency, which is tied to the rand. Both currency are freely accepted in the country. I also bought the local newspaper: Times of Swaziland. The front page was full of crime stories... If the country retains its rural character and its constitutional specificity, signs of urbanisation are evident. In 10 years since my last visit (thanks for not commenting on that...), the face of the capital city has changed dramatically.

Cape Town - I

To start this entry on South Africa, I should remind the readers out there that since it is not my first visit to South Africa, I will not be so much descriptive as comparative. Some whites would say that I should compare the country to what it was in the good old days, while most blacks would say that this would be unfair since they do not have a past reference that they can call "the good old days".

As for me, the first thing that striked me is how obvious it is that the country is reaching its full capacity. The first sign is the robots (a typical South African word for traffic lights) not working at many major intersections. This is because of load shedding at the electricity utility. A friend told me it was a strategic game play by the utility so it could finally get more money from the government for its investment plans. Indeed, there has been little investment in the country over the last few years. It should be highlighted that the larger imbalance is on the savings side, with ver low savings rate, resulting in a huge current account deficit. Everybody is just buying and spending, instead of investing. I guess that after years of depravation the new emerging class is very impatient to consume. It is understandable, but the signs of strains abound. And the Reserve Bank had to act again this week with another interest rate hike. One newspaper headline read "Tito spoils Christmas", in reference to the Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni.

The next sign was that the local airline company I was to fly with was grounded because of security concerns over the maintenance of its fleet. A good sign that the airline regulator had the strength to ground an airline right at the start of the summer holidays. But another sign that the private companies are also not investing enough. So there I saw my plane grounded at the airport, while I had to buy another last minute ticket with one competitor.

The problems were fixed later in the week, and I could safely fly back to Cape Town with my normal ticket. I will keep you posted on how long it will take to get my refund.

In the meantime, you can always send me a sms to my local number 0027 82 531 23 99 and tell me what you thought about my comments and what aspects of local life and issues you would like to see be discussed here.

La Revue

What best way to finish the year on a "best of". For the 111th time, here comes the annual "La Revue" at one of our theater. Last year, more than 40'000 people watched it - that is around 10% of the population. Huge success !!

So it is very important to appear in this spectacle, to have a sketch with one's character. There were so many highlights, so many jokes. A very good satyre of local and national politics as well as of some social events. Great laugh! Below, just a little banner taken from their website, with our president in the main role!

I also want to take the occasion to summarise the final results of our Parliamentary elections that were spread over several weeks, due to second rounds in many cantons. The results are the following per party, with first the number of seats in the National Council (200 seats) and second the number of seats in the Council of States (46 seats):

* Swiss People's Party (extreme right):

62 seats (+7) ; 7 seats (-1)

* Socialist Party (left):

43 seats (-9) ; 9 seats (=)

* Christian Democratic Party (centre):

31 seats (+3) ; 15 seats (=)

* Radical Democratic Party (right):

31 seats (-5) ; 12 seats (-2)

* Greens (left):

20 seats (+7) ; 2 seats (+2)

* others:

13 seats (-3) ; 1 seat (+1)

The participation rate was 48.9%. This is very low for national parliamentary elections compared to most countries, but for Swiss standards it is quite high and indeed the highest rate since 1983...! The linguistic minorities still represent 27% of total seats. The proportion of women has risen slightly to 27%. The average age of deputies is 52 years.

world capital

Of course, I am talking about Geneva! The worldwide seat of 25 international organisations such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is also the European center of the United Nations. There are 157 states represented here and around 35'000 diplomats and international civil servants.

This week there was an international conference on debt management at the United Nations building. Many interesting topics on this issue were discussed by delegates from all over the world. For me, it was special occasion on two accounts. First, it was the first time in my life that I went to work in Geneva. Funny feeling. And second, it is always a priviledge to sit behind the board reading "Switzerland". Do we not have the best point of view?

Then there were also side-events such as the bazaar. Many countries had food stands and I tasted products from exotic countries.

Of course, every place has its symbol. At the UN headquarters in Geneva, it is the peacock.

Snow

Some say "at last", I said "so soon". Indeed, snow has arrived this week, much earlier than the previous years. In the end, it does not matter so much: the temperature is cold, the sun is barely shining, the days are short. Winter has arrived.Of course, most of you would have noticed that these pictures were all taken in Berne. Well, these is a very good reason for that: Snow has not fallen in Geneva! I always tease my work colleagues about the crappy weather in Berne and how much better it is in Geneva. They thought I was boasting or even suspected that I was paid by the Geneva tourism office. However I shortly found the hard data provided by "meteo suisse". And the data tell a very clear story. For the first 10 months of 2007, the average temperature was 15% higher in Geneva, whereas rainfall were 21% lower in Geneva. These patterns are similar when it comes to hours of sunshine (4% more in Geneva) and to rainy days (11% less in Geneva). Of course, some colleagues came up with all sorts of spacious arguments, such as having to measure temperatures on the Kelvin and not the Celcius scale.

Cheese fondue

One thing that is nice about winter (actually are there any others...) is the cheese fondue. The first one for the season is the best one ... so the theory of marginal utility applies indeed!

It is not the fondue itslef that is so special, it is the whole experience. There is the place called "Bains des Paquis", a wooden restaurant right by the sea. The atmosphere there is simple, cosy and joyfull. There are also all what goes with the fondue: the white wine, the smoked beef, the pepper and the desserts. And there is also the company of good friends and the interesting conversation one has.

It should be said that after this very traditionnal supper, we ended in a Indian bar, where they played Bollywood movies on a big screen. It seems it is very difficult to spend an entire "100% swiss" evening.

Halloween

Yes, I know Halloween is such an un-European event. Actually a few years ago, the retailers tried to impose that on European consumers because they thought they could make a lot of money out of it... Shops were full of scary, orange (i have nothing against that...) and funny stuffs. Even the little retailers had Halloween things all over their shops. But after 2-3 years, they realised that the consumers were not so keen anymore. Halloween has no historical roots, no tradition here. So, now it is much more discreet. But still, there is a Halloween-fan group in the region. The hosts know how to make us feel welcome!
And once inside, it is nice and warm with lots of typical Halloween products, including marshmallows, pumpkin soup and jelly. If you think you could come out of this supper without having gained 3-4 kilos, you would be so absolutely wrong!
Last but not least, some people still do not know that Halloween has nothing to do with happy feet. Actually I should not be too harsh on them since I was not disguised as well. But just have a look at them... can I hear you laugh?

Eastern Germany - Ostsee

After the problems with the trains, we travelled by car over the week-end and, as there is no speed limit on the freeways, we sped towards the North and the Baltic sea. The first stop was the island of Usedom, better known for its holiday resorts. But we were more interested in visiting Pennemünde. It is a military complex created by the Nazis, who built the first ground-air missile, the famous V2. But this site also highlights the costs to create this missile, since more than 20000 people were forced to work in this camp and lost their lives.

After this historical visit, we went further north and stopped at Straslund. It was a very important harbour in the Middle Ages. Many well renovated buildings bear testimony to this rich past. The colours of the stone is a trademark of this city.

Our last stop was the island of Rügen. It is a very famous tourism resort in Germany. And in the middle of October, there were still many people enjoying a walk along the beach. The typical automnal colours were particularly pleasing. At the end of this long week-end and having seen some of the most prestigious places in Germany, I must say that these places are not that spectacular. I understand then very well why so many Germans enjoy travelling abroad.