Saturday, May 15, 2004
A precautionary note: For those of you expecting to read the purposeful,
poetic prose of Ms. Anne Lewis, I must explain that I am not she. I am known
as Jon to many, Adler to others, Jon Adler to Annie's mom, and boyfriend to
Annie. I have very recently returned from an eight day trip to the Republic
of South Africa (and 2 two day trips to get there and back) to visit Annie
and as such have been accorded the privilege of penning a "Guest Blog." So
enjoy...
Something about the squirrels in South Africa is... off. On my first day in
sunny Cape Town, Annie led me to a landscaped park-like path in the middle
of the city, lined with museums and historical buildings. While walking upon
this path, a squirrel meandered across our path, barely paying us any notice
despite our footsteps mere centimeters away. Don't squirrels run from people
in the US?
But it's not just the squirrels; there were countless little things that I
observed during my trip that constantly reminded me that I wasn't meandering
down the streets of Anytown, USA. They have 7-11 in South Africa, but it's
not the 7-11 that I know and love. The logo is different. The stores are
actually open from seven 'til eleven. Bakeries are present, Slurpees
(regrettably) are not. In South Africa, Diet Coke is called Coke Lite. No
one's ever heard of a Grande Non-fat White Mocha Latte. Or a granola bar. Or
black beans. Passionfruit is called grenadilla and blueberries are called
bulgarians. You can buy milk in a bag, but if you want a bag for your
groceries, it costs around nineteen cents.
There are other, much more important things that I noticed. Table mountain,
Lion's Head, and the Twelve Apostles cut a mountainous hole in the middle of
the donut that is Cape Town, making travel across town more than a little
challenging. From long distances and wide angles, these mountains provide
the natural beauty for which Cape Town is world renowned. Upon closer
inspection, however, there is much about Cape Town that is far from
beautiful. Ride or drive through many areas in town and you'll notice
buildings that are crumbling after years (decades?) of apparent neglect.
Drive a little bit further out of town (maybe 2-3 miles) and you'll start to
see thousands of shacks on either side of the highway, hastily constructed
out of wooden planks, fallen street signs, and any other refuse that help
keep the roofs attached to the walls. Millions of people live in these
townships all over South Africa, with a standard of living that is
unimaginable by most American standards. I never even entered a township in
the time I spent in South Africa, and I was still tremendously affected.
It's a situation that one can't really wrap their mind around unless they
see for themselves.
Because of the over-forty percent unemployment rate and the fact that nearly
fifty percent of the population lives below the poverty line, one has to be
very careful when traveling through Cape Town for fear of pickpockets and
muggers, especially after dark. Thankfully nothing happened while I visited
(and nothing has happened to Annie in the time that she's been there. I
promise), most likely because my imposing physique kept potential evil-doers
at bay. But if I may return to reality for a moment... Compared to my abroad
experience in Sydney Australia during which I intentionally walked down
dimly lit alleys to remind myself of more dangerous American cities, Cape
Town was a bit of a shock.
The weather was really just lovely. Annie explained to me that she implored
Mother Nature to provide good weather during my visit, and I think there
were four hours during the entire trip that the weather was not perfect.
Annie, I thank you and the region thanks you for the week plus of
outstanding weather. The warm, sunny days made our travel plans extremely
successful. We rented a car (they drive on the other side of the road in
South Africa. Yes, I drove. Ask Annie and she will tell you that she only
feared for her life for about 3% of the driving time) and drove 6 hours
eastward across the southern coast of South Africa, along a road called the
Garden Route. We stopped several times along the way, notably spending 10
minutes at an aloe farm where we learned from a very enthusiastic
salesperson that aloe cures everything and that our lives would be greatly
improved if we purchased some aloe based products. We tried aloe tea. It
tasted like lake. At the end of the day, we ended up in a town called
Plettenberg Bay. At Plet, we ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant where our
entrees tasted like eggplant parm and chinese food. Weird. That night, we
saw a full lunar eclipse on a beach that was a couple of miles from town.
Some of the best stars I've ever seen, let me tell you.
Over the next days we hiked on a peninsula in Plet, went abseiling
(rappelling. Climbing down mountains on strong ropes) in a nearby town
called Knysna, played at the beach in a town called Wilderness, and visited
an Ostrich farm at the ostrich capital of the world, Oudtshorn. Annie rode
around on an ostrich for about seven seconds. I just sat on one. Before
people climb aboard these fierce birds, the trainers put a bag over their heads (over the ostriches heads. Come on, it would be really strange if the trainers put bags over their own heads. I hate parallel
construction), to "calm them down." I don't know about you, but if someone
stuck a bag tightly over my head, the last thing I'd do is instantly mellow
out. But for ostriches, it seems to work.
There are so many other stories and amazing things that I saw and
experienced during my trip, but I feel that my somewhat rambling narrative
has already grown rather verbose. In case you're wondering, Annie is having
the time of her life and she's getting so much out of her experience. She's
met some fabulous new people, and despite the fact that her room is
sandwiched between the kitchen and the bathroom, her house is great. She
sends her love across the Atlantic, and strongly suggests that all of you
come to visit her immediately. There's no need to call or anything, just
show up. I'm serious.
And one more thing: I spent more time than I'd like to admit searching South
Africa for Milo in ice cream form. If you know where I can find this
fabulous product, please let me know. Thanks
poetic prose of Ms. Anne Lewis, I must explain that I am not she. I am known
as Jon to many, Adler to others, Jon Adler to Annie's mom, and boyfriend to
Annie. I have very recently returned from an eight day trip to the Republic
of South Africa (and 2 two day trips to get there and back) to visit Annie
and as such have been accorded the privilege of penning a "Guest Blog." So
enjoy...
Something about the squirrels in South Africa is... off. On my first day in
sunny Cape Town, Annie led me to a landscaped park-like path in the middle
of the city, lined with museums and historical buildings. While walking upon
this path, a squirrel meandered across our path, barely paying us any notice
despite our footsteps mere centimeters away. Don't squirrels run from people
in the US?
But it's not just the squirrels; there were countless little things that I
observed during my trip that constantly reminded me that I wasn't meandering
down the streets of Anytown, USA. They have 7-11 in South Africa, but it's
not the 7-11 that I know and love. The logo is different. The stores are
actually open from seven 'til eleven. Bakeries are present, Slurpees
(regrettably) are not. In South Africa, Diet Coke is called Coke Lite. No
one's ever heard of a Grande Non-fat White Mocha Latte. Or a granola bar. Or
black beans. Passionfruit is called grenadilla and blueberries are called
bulgarians. You can buy milk in a bag, but if you want a bag for your
groceries, it costs around nineteen cents.
There are other, much more important things that I noticed. Table mountain,
Lion's Head, and the Twelve Apostles cut a mountainous hole in the middle of
the donut that is Cape Town, making travel across town more than a little
challenging. From long distances and wide angles, these mountains provide
the natural beauty for which Cape Town is world renowned. Upon closer
inspection, however, there is much about Cape Town that is far from
beautiful. Ride or drive through many areas in town and you'll notice
buildings that are crumbling after years (decades?) of apparent neglect.
Drive a little bit further out of town (maybe 2-3 miles) and you'll start to
see thousands of shacks on either side of the highway, hastily constructed
out of wooden planks, fallen street signs, and any other refuse that help
keep the roofs attached to the walls. Millions of people live in these
townships all over South Africa, with a standard of living that is
unimaginable by most American standards. I never even entered a township in
the time I spent in South Africa, and I was still tremendously affected.
It's a situation that one can't really wrap their mind around unless they
see for themselves.
Because of the over-forty percent unemployment rate and the fact that nearly
fifty percent of the population lives below the poverty line, one has to be
very careful when traveling through Cape Town for fear of pickpockets and
muggers, especially after dark. Thankfully nothing happened while I visited
(and nothing has happened to Annie in the time that she's been there. I
promise), most likely because my imposing physique kept potential evil-doers
at bay. But if I may return to reality for a moment... Compared to my abroad
experience in Sydney Australia during which I intentionally walked down
dimly lit alleys to remind myself of more dangerous American cities, Cape
Town was a bit of a shock.
The weather was really just lovely. Annie explained to me that she implored
Mother Nature to provide good weather during my visit, and I think there
were four hours during the entire trip that the weather was not perfect.
Annie, I thank you and the region thanks you for the week plus of
outstanding weather. The warm, sunny days made our travel plans extremely
successful. We rented a car (they drive on the other side of the road in
South Africa. Yes, I drove. Ask Annie and she will tell you that she only
feared for her life for about 3% of the driving time) and drove 6 hours
eastward across the southern coast of South Africa, along a road called the
Garden Route. We stopped several times along the way, notably spending 10
minutes at an aloe farm where we learned from a very enthusiastic
salesperson that aloe cures everything and that our lives would be greatly
improved if we purchased some aloe based products. We tried aloe tea. It
tasted like lake. At the end of the day, we ended up in a town called
Plettenberg Bay. At Plet, we ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant where our
entrees tasted like eggplant parm and chinese food. Weird. That night, we
saw a full lunar eclipse on a beach that was a couple of miles from town.
Some of the best stars I've ever seen, let me tell you.
Over the next days we hiked on a peninsula in Plet, went abseiling
(rappelling. Climbing down mountains on strong ropes) in a nearby town
called Knysna, played at the beach in a town called Wilderness, and visited
an Ostrich farm at the ostrich capital of the world, Oudtshorn. Annie rode
around on an ostrich for about seven seconds. I just sat on one. Before
people climb aboard these fierce birds, the trainers put a bag over their heads (over the ostriches heads. Come on, it would be really strange if the trainers put bags over their own heads. I hate parallel
construction), to "calm them down." I don't know about you, but if someone
stuck a bag tightly over my head, the last thing I'd do is instantly mellow
out. But for ostriches, it seems to work.
There are so many other stories and amazing things that I saw and
experienced during my trip, but I feel that my somewhat rambling narrative
has already grown rather verbose. In case you're wondering, Annie is having
the time of her life and she's getting so much out of her experience. She's
met some fabulous new people, and despite the fact that her room is
sandwiched between the kitchen and the bathroom, her house is great. She
sends her love across the Atlantic, and strongly suggests that all of you
come to visit her immediately. There's no need to call or anything, just
show up. I'm serious.
And one more thing: I spent more time than I'd like to admit searching South
Africa for Milo in ice cream form. If you know where I can find this
fabulous product, please let me know. Thanks
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