By Nancy Dorrans
As a travel counselor, I strive to send or lead my clients to an authentic experience, safely out of their comfort zone, and into an appreciation of another culture, landscape, tradition, food, music, and people. In the spring of 2016, I organized and traveled to Southern Africa with a small group of adventurous friends. We journeyed from Portland, Boston, Cleveland, Denver, and Duluth, landing in Cape Town to begin our adventure.
The People of Cape Town
While tracking, spotting, and getting fairly close (enough) to the animals in the wild was breathtaking, it was the people we met, the schools we visited, the history, the personal stories we listened to, and friendships we made that made this trip one of my favorites of all my adventures.
“The Cape Malays (people of Cape Town) are the descendants of enslaved and free Muslims from different parts of the world who lived at the Cape during Dutch and British rule,” Wikipedia informs us. Cape Malay is a mash up of African and Malaysian culture, color, and cuisine – including the delicious Malay Koeksisters, a much-loved South African traditional sticky, spicy, sweet treat. Delicious!
This mash up begins in 1652 when the Dutch arrived in the Cape to establish a port for their vessels on their way to the East Indies.
“The Dutch needed laborers for the growing port and began bringing in slaves from their colonies in the Indonesian archipelago, as well as parts of Africa. These slaves were the first to bring Islam to the Cape and included political dissidents opposed to the Dutch presence in Southeast Asia.
From tragic beginnings, Cape Malay has emerged as a strong culture of its own distinct from the Asian, African, and Dutch cultures that have influenced it. The community has a tumultuous history ranging many years, from fighting slavery to resisting their classification under the apartheid government and playing important roles in the struggle against the unjust former regime.”
sahistory.org.za
On the Way to the Harbor…
We arrived at our boutique Cape Town hotel excited and hungry. We were told to head to the harbor for great views and seafood. On our way, a young teenage woman began following us. She started offering directions, and she was persistent and chatty. She told me she had a baby at home and no food. So, we stopped at the corner store on the way, and I asked her what she needed. She said milk and diapers.
The others continued down to the harbor, while she picked out the diapers and not one liter but a full case of milk boxes, maybe eight liters. I paid. She thanked me profusely and headed out of the store in the opposite direction. This left me to find the harbor restaurant – and my friends – on my own. A spontaneous moment with a stranger… slightly out of my comfort zone. Yet an unforgettable and worthwhile encounter!
We enjoyed a delicious meal. And from the harbor, we could see the iconic Table Mountain that we would climb just a few days later.
Happy
The next day we set out exploring the outskirts of Cape Town and visited Kirstenbosch gardens with amazing blooming aloe, the country’s stunning national flower Protea, and a very special yellow Bird of Paradise flower named for Nelson Mandela. His spirit is ever present.
We enjoyed a delicious Cape Malay lunch at the Groot Constantia Wine Farm, stunning views from the Cape of Good Hope, and a visit to meet the penguins at Boulders Beach. Next was a challenging yet rewarding hike up Table Mountain. We met up with a group of local schoolboys who happily entertained us and each other!
The people everywhere seemed so very happy! Our hotel bartender, Happy Juice, introduced us to Amarula, a delicious cream liquor that we enjoyed – with him – on the rooftop of the hotel!
-All photos courtesy of Nancy Dorrans
Our adventure continued further north to Johannesburg, Kruger National Park, Karongwe private game reserve, Victoria Falls, and back to Johannesburg. I’ll continue the rest of this incredible adventure in another article.
We left Cape Town behind, but not the memories of this amazing landscape and the happy, beautiful people that call Cape Town home. Africa keeps calling me back… My dreams to return are slowly coming into view. If you’d like to go, please let me know.
