Ramblings from Cape Town, South Africa

Can we travel soon?

PLEASE??

Can we travel yet???
Photo Credit: James Williams

Cape Town (and the world) under Lockdown Covid-19 is something most of us will never forget.
This period in world history will be something that our children/grand-children will most probably find quite boring to read about unless they are currently experiencing life at home with no formal schooling. All those folk who are already living "the dream" on islands, or hidden in forests or mountains the world over, may not even realise that the rest of the world is now also in isolation!!

For those who follow Ben Fogle's TV documentaries about people living "In the Wild" perhaps  isolation on a tropical island or hidden amongst the clouds in the Himalayas now seems much more appealing?

Having said that, this city girl is truly missing the beauty of Cape Town and further afield with my camera slung around my neck.  Our planned trip to Southern Italy was due to start 7th May 2020.
This will now, most probably, remain a dream.

For most of us in the Hospitality Industry life is currently pretty tough but we hope to survive this crisis with not too many scars.  Most of us in this industry also love to travel as and when time permits. One has to wonder if international travel will ever reach the highs of recent years?
Or will many planes land up in scrap yards? We hope not.

Having said all that, we hope that Cape Town will once again be on the bucket list of both local and international travellers. South Africa has incredible beauty and Cape Town is a city like none other.

Kalk Bay remains a village that can be visited over and over again. The harbour is always interesting, the locals even more so, the restaurants are varied, the fishing boats draw photographers and the seals are always on the look out for scraps off the boats.

Kirstenbosch is Cape Town's pride and joy - this Botanical Garden is one of the best in the world and attracts both locals and tourists. Take time out to enjoy a picnic on the wide expanses of lawn, enjoy the summer concerts, enjoy the bird life, marvel at the stunning flora, hike up into the mountain or just sit on a bench and enjoy the mountain views.

Art and Sculpture are part and parcel of the Cape Town scene - visit the Norval Foundation for interesting exhibits and a slow wander around their gardens. The onsite restaurant offers a huge deck for summer breakfasts or lunches.

Norval Foundation

Art lovers can also enjoy the modern Zeitz Museum in the V&A.

The Franschhoek Motor Museum is a classic car lovers delight and also brings you to the Winelands for a long, lazy lunch!

Franschhoek Motor Museum

Capetonians love to exercise and we have all the facilities - indoors or outdoors!

In the ocean, on the beaches, in the mountains, or biking along Sea Point Promenade.

So please, don't be in Lockdown forever - we would love to see you as soon as possible!!

Penguins in Simonstown, Cape Town, South Africa 

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Table Mountain from Blouberg

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South Africa - Road Tripping - Seven Passes - Garden Route

Boredom Buster - Seven Passes, Garden Route

Before we had the N2, there were the "Seven Passes"

Written By: Carri-Anne | 28 Apr 2020

Wilderness Beach, Garden Route

Wilderness and Knysna, in the heart of the Garden Route are popular holiday destinations, there’s plenty to do and see. Enjoyed for the array of outdoor activities it’s frequented by mountain bikers, runners and hikers. One of the hidden treasures of the area is the Seven, a 75 km stretch of road that technically has eight passes.

Knysna Lagoon - railway bridge

Seven Passes Road

The seven passes are, as the name suggests, seven passes all connected, running from Knysna to George or George to Knysna, whichever way you prefer to traverse it. This majority dirt road is a creation of the pass builder extraordinaire, Thomas Charles John Bain, and was finished in 1883. Bain had help from his brother-in-law Adam de Smidt, and rumour has it the two didn’t get along every day or most days. Back when Bain first built this road, it was the equivalent of the N2. Since the building of the N2 and the extension of the surrounding farms and B roads, the traffic you’ll find on the road are mountain bikers, trucks from the mills and the odd tourist or two.
The general profile of each pass is a descent into a valley where it either crosses a river or runs alongside one before climbing the ascent out. The variations are the gradients of descent and ascent, the amount of tight and twisty corners and the height. The beauty of these passes are that they’re not done at speed, it’s an easy relaxing drive, a dirt road with the forest canopy overhead that clears at the bottom as you cross each bridge.

Getting there

Beginning the journey from Knysna at Phantom Pass, the first pass that would be built out of the seven. Turning off the N2 before the Knysna lagoon the road runs inland towards the first pass, Phantom Pass. This 75 km stretch of the road reached the Kaaimans River in 1869, and in 1871 was built to reach Woodville near George.

Phantom Pass

The Belvidere turnoff from the N2 turns into the Phantom Pass, which was ready for business in 1862, with a rebuild in 1882. Named after the ghost moths that call the forest home.

Homtini Pass

Completed in 1882, opened in 1883, and was the last pass to be completed of the seven. The Homtini name has suggested roots in Khoi, and means either ‘mountain honey’ or ‘difficult passage’. We’re likely to believe that it means difficult passage with 45 corners, of which three exceed 120 degrees and one sharp hairpin. It was the building of this pass that led to the source of discontent between Bain and de Smidt. It’s believed that they disagreed with the path of the Seven Passes road, which led to an argument in the build of Homtini Pass. The argument between the two escalated to the point that they never spoke again.

Karatara Pass

The finding of gold in the area lead the pass to be further built and heading towards the Homtini area.
Bearing the same name as the forestry village the pass can have a few trucks on it. A gravel track that’s dusty in summer and turns into a muddy clay in winter. If doing this in winter, it would be recommended to go in a vehicle with all-wheel drive as the corrugations can cause a loss of traction.

Touw River Pass 

This pass remains the same as it was when built by Bain and de Smidt, except the timber bridge was washed away and replaced by a steel bridge in the early 1900s. It’s thought that de Smidt was more involved in building this pass than Bain, who was involved in the Homtini Pass at the same time. Much like the other passes it drops down into the riverbed and is often a victim of flooding in heavy rains.

Silwer River Pass

This short pass of 2.5 km is a national monument, leading into Wilderness Heights. Built by de Smidt the pass has 30 bends, which is quite something considering how short it is. Many consider this pass to be part of the Kaaimansgat Pass.

Kaaimansgat Pass

While Bain worked on the Knysna end of the passes, de Smidt built on the George end of the road. The original bridges were made of timber though succumbed to the elements quickly. In 1902 the concrete bridges were built, and are still standing today, and are national monuments.

Swartrivier Pass

A road that crosses the Swartrivier, the original pass was first used in 1853. Now it’s a modern tar road that runs past the Garden Route dam wall and down into the main road of George.

Make an adventure out of it

Stay in George, Wilderness, or Knysna for ease of access to the passes. While the passes can be done in just over an hour it’s recommended you make a day of the route. Pack food, picnic blankets, and sunblock. Stop along the way at local craft shops on the route. Stop at each bridge, take photos, and enjoy the flora and fauna at each pass.

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Cape Town and the Spanish Flu

CAPE TOWN  AND THE SPANISH FLU 1918

Cape Town had been no stranger to epidemics.  In 1713 nearly 25 percent of Cape Town residents died from smallpox and another 2 000 died when it broke out again 42 years later. In 1881 another 1 000 died from smallpox.  The bubonic plague claimed 395 victims in 1901.

The Spanish Influenza Epidemic of 1918, however, claimed a conservative estimate 50 million lives worldwide,  with  India having the highest number of recorded deaths at 17 million.  South African deaths are estimated to have been between 280 000 and 300 000 deaths.  In Cape Town the figure is approximately  6342 deaths  while a further 116 378 non-fatal cases were reported.  The total population was only 199 570 which meant that two out of every three residents in Cape Town were affected.

The strain of Flu was called “Spanish Flu, as the Spanish newspapers  were  the first to report it.  Spain was neutral in World War 1 and there was no military censorship in this regard. They could report how the Flu was killing both Allied and German troops in their trenches. It is claimed that 43% of American troops that died in the War, died from the Spanish Flu. There was no antidote for the Flu at the time.

The origin of the Flu is  unknown but it  was first observed in Europe, America and areas of Asia.   One unusual aspect of the flu was that it struck down many previously healthy, young people. 

According to author Catherine Arnold, Cape Town had a mild form of the Spanish Flu in July 1918 which gave the population some sort of immunity against the lethal strain which followed. This mild strain was later  found in Durban in early September 1918, resulting in one death. 

The first case of the lethal strain of Spanish Flu in Cape Town was on 13th September 1918.  It had broken out among the 1300 troops returning from a one  year  active duty in France and Belgium. The troop ship had stopped for coal in Free Town in Sierra Leone, where the Spanish Flu was rampant.  On arriving at Cape Town Harbour, the Infected soldiers  were placed in the military hospital where they infected the medical staff.  The  remainder of the troops were sent to the military camp at the Rosebank Showgrounds where  the Baxter Theatre and the College of Music now stand. The staff at the Military camp, the transport drivers, the stevedores and fisherman at the harbour nearly all  contracted the Spanish Flu .

The first civilian death appears to be that of John Smith, a 20 year old brush maker from District Six on 30^th September.   By the  6th of  October,  160 people were being  buried each day.  By October 9,  this had increased to 250 per day and by the 13^th the figure  was 300 per day. After 4 weeks, 4% of Cape Town’s population had died.

Unlike many other viruses, the majority of the victims were young men and women,  leaving behind almost  2000 children. Ellerslie High School became a temporary hospital  while the City hall became the center for relief food and medicine. Canon Lavis ( later Bishop Lavis ) opened up St Pauls in Bree Street for victims. 

Death itself could come fast, often quicker than 12 hours. Charles  Lewis bordered a streetcar in Cape Town for a three hour journey.  First the conductor collapsed and died and soon after  the driver and 6 passengers died.  Charles  walked home.

Every morning carts went through the streets of Cape Town,  manned by convicts,  picking up the dead who had dropped dead on the streets and ringing a bell calling people to bring out their dead. At the  Maitland cemetery a minister was on permanent duty while carts and wheelbarrows piled with bodies, lined Voortrekker Road.   Coffins were in short supply and bodies were being buried in blankets in mass graves. When morgues were filled to capacity, bodies  were taken to Woodstock Beach and buried in trenches.   Some   survivors  later  developed  a condition which caused them to go into a coma and appeared to be  dead. Of these many failed to recover totally and were unable to move.

Most shops and offices closed.  Public transport and postal services barely operated.  Schools and places of public entertainment were closed down and churches were requested not to hold services. Streets were almost deserted during the day.  According to the Cape Times, Cape Town was like a City in mourning.  

By the end of October the number of cases was rapidly decreasing and the Town started to revive.  On the 30^th of October, theatres and cinemas were opened after being fumigated .  Over the following  months the authorities  kept a close  watch on ships entering Cape Town harbour. Worldwide the pandemic was declared over only in 1928. 

Cape Town had been  experiencing a boom period which had led to gross overcrowding.  The Great War had also resulted in an influx of military personnel which had worsened the overcrowding. It was commonly conceded that the overcrowding and poor housing had been a major factor in the spread of the epidemic.

As a result, two housing companies were established.   Garden Cities in 1919  and the Citizen’s Housing League a few years later.  A further outcome was that  the City  developed   Maitland Garden Village in 1921, Garden Cities developed  Pinelands in 1922 and Langa was established in 1925. After the second World War, the Citizens Housing League (now known as Communicare) developed Thornton in 1947.   At the time the Citizens Housing League  lobbied for improved housing legislation. A new Housing Act and an improved Public Health Bill came before Parliament

Worldwide, a flu surveillance network was developed to deal with  flu pandemics.  This network  was able to reduce the impact of the 1957 Asian Flu, 1968 Hong Kong flu, 1991 Hong Kong Bird Flu and the 2004 Asian Bird Flu.  It is too early to tell if it has made an impact on the current pandemic.

Article Courtesy:
Brian Watkyns  1987  updated 2020.

Footnote : Klasie van  Rensburg, living in Wolermaranstad had predicted a number of events and was regarded as a sieneer (seer). He accurately  predicted that  at the beginning of 1918,   a great plague would sweep the world and South Africa. But that’s a story for another time……

Walking along the Elsies River Canal in  Pinelands

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Travel Memories during Covid-19 2020

Covid-19 2020 – this word has spread panic, uncertainty and a huge fear of the unknown.

Such an invisible threat has caused, the world as we know it, to change, to shut down and basically come to a grinding halt. Not a war, not the politicians, neither the general mass of humanity has been able to bring about this unprecedented lock-down that our universe is currently experiencing. A global threat of epic proportions from a tiny virus has basically destroyed the economies of powerful nations.

We cannot apportion blame on anybody in particular – maybe it really was time for the earth to say “Please give me a few months of calm, less pollution and less scurrying around”

So, the doom and gloom remains, many have lost loved ones and medical personnel are run off their feet trying to cope with a pandemic of epic proportions.

On the positive side, we now have more time to reflect, to appreciate our “previous” lifestyle and to regroup, rethink and challenge ourselves to come up with new ideas. It is a time for those IT specialists to hone their skills, invent or perfect tools for social interaction in the new norm of lockdown.

For those of us who love the world of travel, we cannot even begin to plan ahead as nobody knows when countries will open up their borders again, when airlines will take to the skies again or when the currently empty coffers will get filled up!

Our Italian trip for May 2020 has been cancelled so in a bid to banish the travel blues, I decided to take a look at past travel experiences rather than focusing on the “where to next” scenario.

Although I did not realise it at the time, my love for travel started early in life when I wrote to my many pen-pals around the globe. This also sparked my hobby of stamp collecting.

Born and raised in the small, sleepy town of Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo this interaction brought me immense pleasure – writing to somebody far, far away when the air was dead still, the heat was blistering, nothing moved and it was sometimes difficult to breathe during the long, hot summer months. Winter was when chilblains were the norm on fingers from being crouched around the fireplace as the cold crept in, blowing off the snow on the Swartberg Mountains surrounding the town.

My first trip out of South Africa was with a soccer tour to UK. Our contact in London planned it all and I was the silly mug who handled the finances for the group of kids!! New country and my first duty was to collect the tour vouchers. This ended up in the London Underground being closed due to a bomb scare!

A never forgotten highlight (besides the soccer!) was sitting in the front row for “Phantom of the Opera” – boy, did I scream when that chandelier came flying down. Yep – small town girl!!!

After this trip the travel bug truly had me in its iron grip and I was fortunate enough to enjoy many trips abroad.

A few memories in no particular order:

The Scottish way of saying it’s a “wee, bonny day” even when the raindrops are very, very wet. 

To this day I don’t know how I had the courage to drive all over Scotland in my son’s clapped out 2^nd hand car (who sold him this piece of rubbish?) with no brakes and no indicators. It certainly did not have any MOT and it is a miracle that I only got hooted at once in Inverness for changing lanes on a circle!     

     

In Austria, we were caught in a rainstorm whilst walking to an upmarket restaurant. Whilst the staff were a bit taken aback, they allowed us in, gave us towels and served us with friendly smiles! The male diners were mainly dressed in traditional garb so we truly stood out as total foreign nut cases. Nobody batted an eyelid though and we even received a few friendly nods as earlier diners left. It was still raining by the end of our delicious meal so we were handed 2 umbrellas and asked to return them in a few days!  

Vienna – I am not normally a “museum” person; however, the Music Museum in Vienna is an absolute must see.

Namibia is a vast, fascinating country. The early morning start to get to SOSSUSVLEI is so worth it. Once I had climbed that massive dune, the views were incredible – it was just myself and a tiny lizard like creature, together we stood virtually on the top of the world. Namibia is a photographers’ dream, the vastness, the dusty roads, the flamingoes in Walvis Bay, the taste of Germany in the beautiful town of Swakopmund, the wild Skeleton Coast loved by fishermen, the game in Etosha.

My biggest scare was coming face to face with a giraffe whist staying in a lodge close to Etosha. I am not sure who got the biggest fright but I think it was myself as the giraffe looked at me with his big eyes, decided I was not a treat and carried on munching!

Whilst I really do not enjoy the food in Germany, it was fun to eat the tiny sausages at the oldest Sausage Kitchen in Regensburg. Built in 1135 AD as a construction office, this tiny building looks over the Danube and the historic 12^th Century Stone Bridge. The other favourite (and cheap for us South African’s) was HELL beer – we bought it by the crateful!

Croatia – our guide had us in fits of laughter on many occasions and especially so when she related how she used to line her pockets with stones to ensure that the BURA wind did not lift her up and blow her away. This wind has been known to reach speeds of 304 km per hour so it’s not inconceivable that it could blow a person away!

Slovenia – this tiny country has the best of both worlds – you could be skiing in the morning (Alps) and swimming in the Adriatic in the afternoon! How cool is that?

UK – Canal Boating – anything can happen and it did. We were moored outside a pub in our boat named “Castaway” The next morning I awoke to banging and crashing and thought that James had suddenly gone totally beserk. Only to find that we had been cast off by some late-night revelers and were now without our moorings afloat in the middle of the canal. In hindsight it was hilarious, at the time not at all!

We also loved to walk in the fields while moored somewhere peaceful. During one of these walks we chanced upon an elderly farmer who kept us entertained for ages. When I asked if I could take a photo of him and his tractor, he suddenly said “Oooh, I don’t have me teeth in”

Mauritius – we loved our taxi driver who regaled us with tales of locals and their way of life, despite their differences of religions.

Istanbul, Turkey – we stayed very close to the Blue Mosque and after the initial rude awakening, I grew to love the melodious calls to prayer coming from all over the city. Apple Tea became a firm favourite and the Spice Market is total, never to be forgotten, sensory overload.

USA – The one experience that will forever be a highlight was our helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon. This brought instant tears to my eyes and I don’t think I have ever seen anything quite as spectacular, except from explorers filming for BBC Earth.

Corfu – finding a tiny restaurant that served THE most amazing Sofrito – the owner gave us the recipe but it has never quite tasted the same back home.

Rhodes – checking in to our resort we argued with reception that it was not the Self-Catering apartment that we had booked. It turned out that we received a bonus – full meals every day at no extra cost! Boy, did we enjoy those delicious buffets. And it was the first time that I realized French guests drink coffee out of soup bowls!

Cyprus – driving into the country to get away from the beach crowds, we chanced upon a local farmer with his goats, totally blocking the road. The tinkling bells fading away gradually as they trotted further and further down the road. The farmer was happy to pose for a photo with a huge smile. And who can ever forget those cherries??

Skiathos – if you ever wanted to watch a plane land or take off and feel that jet blast, Skiathos Airport is the place to be. But take care, it truly is pretty dangerous! We also loved the walks in Skiathos, often ending up at a beach Taverna for a cold beer!

Crete – being woken by the bed violently shaking was something else and, once again James got the blame!  It turned out to be an earthquake!! 

Zanzibar – too much Mango juice caused me to be violently ill the night before we were due to fly home. Thankfully, a doctor was available and the hotel allowed us to stay on at no charge. I now avoid mango……!

India – the people of India must be the friendliest on earth. Smiles all the time, no matter whether stuck in a never-ending traffic jam or just walking down the street. I will never forget the 5 young chaps who approached me on a rather deserted beach….I was nervous….yet all they wanted to know was my name, where I was from and to give me some shells. I still have the shells. And the food in India – it’s just wow.

There are so many more memories of holidays gone by, but never forgotten.

So will travel ever be the same again? I don’t even dare to guess.

Let's pray for new beginnings as we learn to treat our earth with more respect.

© Judelle Drake

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