videos from South Africa

After a few months of funny and ironic texts and of superb pictures (allow me to be modest), it is time for the first videos. Just to see if this function works. Comments are always welcome, even though I acknowledge that the quality of these videos is not yet to the same standards as the rest. There are always things to improve. And if there is popular demand, I might put some more.

The first video was taken in the Umfolozi/Hluhluwe national park.

The next one is taken at the Newlands cricket ground. The crowd is doing the mexican wave. In the background, the beautiful surroundings of Table Mountain. Sorry, that the zoom is not powerful enough to distinguish the bowling action.

Finally, a last video from the top of Table Mountain. I know this little video is a little bit frustrating for those who have been there, since it does not adequately depict the true beauty of this place. But it might be enough to motivated the viewers to visit this great country.

Carnival in Berne

First, I have to admit that I was positively surprised by this carnival and by the atmosphere in town. So many people were dressed up, from the very exotic (the Egyptians), to the very local (a woman walking around with her vacuum cleaner - we are definitely in Berne...), to the very original (a set of card game), to the traditional one (the penguin - see a previous entry for a comparaison). I must say that most people did put some commendable effort.

The main attraction though was the music played by various bands. The organisers had put up stands or tents on the main street and the bands would play quite a varied array of music.

Since i attended another carnival a few weeks ago in Cape Town, I have to make a few comparisons. In Berne, many more people were dressed up. Since the temperature was so much colder, it was the spectators that would move around. Talking about the spectators, it seemed the whole town took to the streets. I saw a doctor, an extreme right-wing politician (or is it the same person...), some colleagues and many tourists. Are they already investigated for this year's major event in Switzerland: the football European Nation's Cup 2008? Since this will most certainly be one of this year's main theme, let us start now with a nice picture.

Table Mountain

If there is a MUST in Cape Town, it is to climb Table Mountain. From far, it looks really beautiful. OK, there is a cable-car. Of course, I have to boast that it is made in Switzerland! But it is not a reason to make use of it...

From closer, it is already more challenging. And the name of the path is a bit scary: Skeleton Gorge. Some of my friends also advised me not to climb as a few tourists were attacked and robbed on the mountain. Climbing the mountain, we met a few guards. Since the first time I climbed Table Mountain, 16 years ago, it is the first time there are guards on the mountain. It did give a sense of security, but is it really a good sign ? The walk is so nice. There is quite a lot of shade provided by indigenous trees. And after around three hours of a good climb, we are at the top!The view is spectacular.But this time the highlight of the walk happened as we were coming down from the mountain. At one stage, I felt a presence behind me and automatically turned my head for a quick check. I thought: "hold on, this is not a dog following us". And I looked again: there was a baboon! Right there on our tracks! Well, I quickly moved to the side and the baboon - undisturbed - walked passed us. Further down, we caught with other climbers, who were as excited and scared as us. It was the talk of the day. A few days later, there was the whole story of "John Wayne" - the celebrity baboon in the local newspaper. But the story was so huge that it even made it in "The Independent", which i bought while on my London stopover.

Cricket

One of the must is to spend a day at the cricket ground. People come with their picknick and sit on the grass. It is a very relaxed atmosphere. There were around 9000 spectators and we managed to get the Mexican wave going, although the cheerleaders were a bit confused as to which direction it should be going.

The game was between South Africa and the West Indies. I went to the second day of this 5-day Test match. Yes, cricket can be long and boring - after all it was invented by the British. The South African team - called the Proteas - is ranked number two in the world, but they were struggling against the Caribbean team. They had already lost the first Test match played last week in Port Elizabeth and need to win this one to keep the serie alive.

I have not the time nor the patience to explain all the cricket rules here (but do I understand all of them anyway?). Just a picture of the wickets that the bowlers aim at and that the batters defend.The action got underway with the last two West Indies batsmen being dismissed fairly quickly. Then it was the turn of the South Africans to bat. They score at quite a low rate, probably because the field was slow. The action and the setting was great. And on top of that, there are many statistics at cricket, so there is always something to discuss. I will certainly be watching parts of the next 3 days on TV and hopefully post the final result.

Carnival

For the 100th time this year, the Minstrels Carnival coloured Cape Town. It takes place on the 2nd of January. It is a day of celebration for the coloureds, since it was the only day off they had for the whole year.

The celebrations were supposed to start at 10 am. We decided to get there by 11am, but the march only started at 1.15pm. In Switzerland, the party would have been over already... It seems the problem was that the bus company had not arranged enough busses to bring the people to town.

All in all, 73 groups from all the coloured suburbs walked down the main streets. It is a big "coloured party". From the little children up to the grand-parents, from the musicians to the performers, they all take part.
What keeps surprising me, is to see that even 13 years after the democratic elections, the racial groups are still very much keeping to themselves. As my friend says, it is now their choices to do so, it is not imposed on them by the system. But cultural, wealth and locational differences are still widespread.

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.