maverick mag

On the flight home with Kulula we were presented with a free magazine entitled Maverick.
http://www.maverick.co.za/

Some very readable, topical pieces made me take it home with me. i do hope to visit their website again, to stay in touch with what they're up to. I found the opinions and investigative journalism thought-provoking and on the pulse of SA. I wish they were an e-zine.

Perhaps it'll be a blog one day ! ?

Franschoek Valley lunch

On the drizzly morning of Friday the 24th November, we decided to make our way out to Stellenbosch and Franschoek. On route we rang a mate of Keith's in London, Matt Mack, who had recommended a restaurant for lunch, with breathtaking views and equivalent menu. Mobile phones are awesome and within minutes Matt had given us the name and telephone number of La Petit Ferme in Franschoek. They were able to give us a table at 13h00, and Zack was compliant enough to fall asleep for nigh on the duration of our meal there : about 2 hours ! What bliss was ours. Keith wandered around the grounds and snapped a few photographs (sadly the weather wasn't playing ball, so these are as close as we can get to showing you how beautiful it is), and our food was better than anticipated. The service was world class, and so relaxed yet attentive. I would go again and again if we lived nearby. Friends of Keith's said, later on, that it used to be their favourite restaurant, but now they know the menu off by heart ! It is so hard living in the Cape. Experiences like this have made us wonder why we don't live in Cape Town.

crazy pedestrians in cape town

We have wended our way down the Garden Route (we stayed in the Wilderness and visited George, Nature's Valley, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay). We got into Cape Town late yesterday afternoon and on our trip into town discovered that the rumours of the nutty drivers had some foundation. A chap in a delivery van drove like a complete maniac on the highway, tried to write us off, and then further down the road cut off a 4x4, and dust and stones flew with mad swerving across two lanes. You really need to be alert when you drive here. The other thing that has struck us again and again is the number of pedestrians that just wander across the HIGHWAY ! what are they thinking ? People get killed on highways every day, why are they crossing something that's 3 lines wide, with moving hazards coming at you at 120 + km's per hour. It's just lunacy.

food poisoning at Storms River

We stopped at Storms River to pick up a car for friends on the Otter Trail. I decided stupidly to have the chicken mayo sandwich because the service was very slow and I figured it would be quick and fill a hole. Silly girl, it took ages and when it arrived, it was yuck-O. Definitely the worst chicken-mayo sandwich in South Africa ! Not to feel that I didn't get my money's worth, they gave me a little something to take home... diarrhoea. I had it for days and days, and Imodium didn't even touch it. In fact, I took 7 tablets one day (one shy of the limit) thinking it would hit it with a big stick, and... nada. Quite scary really. In the end I went to a pharmacy in Camps Bay and got some prescription drugs which put an end to everything. Amazing what the REAL stuff can do. The pharmacist, Alan Levine, told me there was an epidemic going around, and when I thought about where I caught it - Storms River mouth is a tourist hotspot (highest Bungee in the World is just around the corner, it's breathtakingly scenic, etc. etc.) and then flown down to Cape Town... little wonder ! I'm sure that tourists all over were suffering with me. Not nice at all, especially when you're on holiday.

Ornithological Heaven

Did you know that South Africa has some of the MOST incredible bird life in the world ? And it's right on your doorstep, quite literally. Having grown up in Johannesburg, I am quite nonplussed by the sight of a hoopoe, a sacred ibis, a grey heron. Here in London, I see only seagulls (I live on a river), pigeons (the scourge of the city, according to our esteemed Mayor), and an LBB here and there. Highlights are a nightingale in the dead of Winter singing outside the Independent's HO. But that's it! Johannesburg, and the rest of Southern Africa, is a completely different scenario. You just turn your head and there's another bird. Amazing really.

For a start, let's see what's available on Google:
Birdlife South Africa
Photos of Birds (et al)
planning a trip to go birdwatching ? And here's another link.

Then there are two amazing books to help you along : the Sasol bird book, and what used to be the Bible of Birds in SA, Roberts.

fabulous food - transkaroo, great brak river

on our first night in George, we were pointed to this gorgeous little place. it feels very Southamptons while the menu is soooo south african. lots of locally grown, fresh ingredients. delightful waiting staff - all trying very hard to make us feel welcome. teasing Zack and carrying him around right thru our starters and main course. I kept telling them he'd never go to sleep being carried around, but they insisted, so he just stayed awake and enjoyed all the attention. lucky bambino! our meal was just wonderful I remember Keith had the lamb and I think mum and I tried something else. It was all wonderful, and exceeded our expectations. I just loved the "sinkplaat" building and the trad decor. such atmosphere. highly recommended !

zapiro / freedom of the press

The daily cartoonist in the Star newspaper is a chap called Zapiro. He's been a busy boy - this article from the IOL surprised me.

cell phone is freedom

As some of you know, I work in mobile phone business publishing, and we run articles each issue on developing countries. I've found it fascinating being in Johannesburg and seeing just how many people have mobile phones. My mum's cleaning lady, who must be in her 50's and a technophobe, has one. I noticed that Sizwe Banzi is Dead was showing, and I picked up a copy of Madam and Eve's latest annual, something like "Madams of the Caribbean" and it struck me that in the apartheid era, mobile phones would have been an awesome subversive tool. And it would mean that an entire nation could be in touch with one another, undermining the divisions that PW Botha (and his predecessors) put in place. I think it would have been nigh on impossible to police because someone somewhere would be able to sell mobile phones, top-ups, connections, etc on the black market, so even if they wanted to force the population to register their phones, (or some other crazy control-freak plan), it wouldn't have worked.

Isn't it amazing how technology comes at just the right time ! ?

I wonder what it's like in places like N Korea and Sudan though ?

power cuts

While Europe asks questions about last week's black-outs, mum and I deal with power failures every single evening here in Fairlands. Sadly it's not a municipal thing, but a tradesman thing.


Every evening between 6 and 7 pm, the lights trip again and again and again. The electrician's explained it as a sensitivity thing - that if there is a power surge in the neighbourhood, our board trips, but it's reached ridiculous proportions.

It's also the most difficult time to have now power : I'm in the middle of feeding and bathing Zack. And trying to wrestle with a small child, in the dark, to get him into his pyjamas is not for the faint-hearted.

I guess it's the same the world over : you just can't get good help these days !

weekend out of the city

Quoting from Today's issue of the Star newspaper, the person in question stands accused of accepting bribes (amongst other things...) : '"R50 000 (about US$6,800) is a small amount for me. I would not be so cheap," he (National Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebi) quipped. Yes, I've taken that quote completely out of context, and yes, it probably doesn't portray him in quite the light he'd intended, but it's revealing nonetheless.

We've had a good weekend - some lovely weather and beautiful sunsets. Guy Fawkes wasn't too noisy - there was a bit of a rush at around 10pm last night but then it all went quiet. It isn't a big thing here anymore.

I drove out to a relative's farm on Saturday at lunchtime for a family reunion. They live near to Heidelberg on a game farm and it was very scenic. It's always good to get out of the city and see the countryside. For the most part it remains unchanged - it looks much the same as it did ten years ago, the only difference is the cars on the road, and a few name changes to places.

I am a little depressed at the news of a multiple rapist being convicted today. It amazes me that someone can carry on like that for so long and not get caught. Horribly inefficient law enforcement is all it comes down to. You hear so many horror stories that you long for just a hint of happy news. I hate to be so gloomy. I'll sign off now.

transport legacies

I spent most of my childhood, all of my teenage years and a part of my early adulthood taking the bus to, and from school, technikon and university. When the ANC came to power in 1994, the Johannesburg transport system took a pretty big dip in efficiency, as it was no longer considered a 'core' service to the public. Well, most importantly, the bus system had only ever serviced previously 'white' suburbs, while Putco had serviced the townships. Things were streamlined and people were encouraged to use taxis more (a taxi in South Africa is a people carrier / mini bus that can carry approximately 16 people).

For seven of the past twelve years, I have lived abroad, but during the initial five I was saddened by the decline in what had once been a relatively comprehensive and affordable transport system.

About eighteen months ago, while sitting behind a bus on Beyers Naude Drive in Northcliff, I was completely smogged out by a public bus as it pulled away at the traffic light. One never sees those kinds of emissions in the UK - it's illegal. I could go nowhere as the entire road was engulfed in black smoke, visibility was about 30cm. Amazing the thing could still function !

In the week that I've been here, I am delighted to discover that buses are once again zipping around Johannesburg. They are not terribly frequent I am told, but from the routes it seems they are far more sensible than before. They now connect various suburbs and sites, rather than having to take a bus into town, to then get to a neigbouring suburb. Excellent ! I haven't heard any feedback, nor do I know anyone who takes the bus, but they look clean and none have belched smoke so far. Well done Jo'burg City Council.


[Mlandeli Puzi, Die Burger newspaper]
Pieter-Dirk Uys does one of the mainstays of his repertoire, former president PW Botha.

Oom PW Botha has passed away, and there's quite a bit of discussion about his legacy on the net at the moment. I must be honest, my lasting memories are not of the man, but of this satirical version - Pieter-Dirk Uys dressed as PW : Die Ou Krokodil (the Old Crocodile).