Mother City Marauder

 Fresh off the plane, I linked up with Frenchie (a friend of one of my bestest friends, Meisha) to see what Capetown was all about. We fetched a taxi and headed into the Mother City.  During the twenty minute drive, our taxi driver described some of his encounters with racism post-apartheid.  As we passed the shantytowns, he also warned us about the high crime rate. This was not a surprise given the huge disparity of wealth along the Cape. But I always feel if I made it out of North Philly during grad school without a scratch, I can make it anywhere in this world.

On our first night, I enjoyed some Cape Malay cuisine that reminded me of chicken tikka masala. After dinner, we left the restaurant and grabbed a drink with our waitress. She was an early 20 coloured girl who attended the local university.  South Africa's racial classification includes Blacks, Whites, Indians and Coloureds.  In Capetown, people thought I was a celebrity, which helped out at times but not on this night.  Our local tour guide was enthralled with US celebrities and anyone who truly knows me will tell you it is the fastest way to get me to tune out of a conversation.  Luckily, Frenchie was there to keep our tour guide engaged with the latest celebrity news while I just surveyed the scene. Being black Americans, everyone wanted to talk to us. The overall theme from the night was that the same racial stereotypes that exist in the States, plague South Africa. Many people thought we would portray the same media stereotypes we see in the states.  This one guy told Frenchie and our surrogate guide that they should be happy he wants to sleep with them being a coloured man. Instead of causing a scene, we decided to close our tab and call it a night.

With reconciliation fresh on our minds from the previous night’s horrible finish, we headed to the waterfront to check out the place Madiba and many other political prisoners of the anti-apartheid movement called home.  The choppy boat ride over to Robben Island was anything but pleasant. The tour consisted of a rushed bus ride around the island and the prison by a former inmate. Although the trek around the island was informative, I wish we had more time to hear our guide’s story.  The rest of our time involved a tour of Cape Point, the Cape of Good Hope, Simon's Town, Kalk Bay, Muizenberg, False Bay as well as a tour of Stellenbosch and its vineyards.   It was during this time, I saw penguins, an ostrich, and baboons amongst the breath-taking landscape along the Western Cape.  It was also during this time we met a Nigerian-born business man who lives in England.  After walking around Stellenbosch, the universe spoke to each of us in a unique way.  We discussed our religious beliefs, the role God plays in our individual walk, and our current struggles.  It is moments like this which lead me to believe I simply walk along a path that the universe has already laid out for me.  After sipping some vino, we headed back to the hotel.  That night we headed back to Kloof street for dinner at Arnold's. I devoured the Gemsbok (antelope) Wellington with a red wine reduction that was only lacking some fresh vegetables.   Although Americans always get a bad wrap for gluttony, I began to notice a trend in the huge portions here.  Not ready to call it a night, we hit a local bar/coffeehouse/hipster meeting place.   While there, we made some more local friends, who were of Deutsh descent.  We talked about our unique experiences with race in South Africa versus the United States (I will expand in the future about my experience with Special Olympics in Phokeng/Rustenburg).  

On the Lord’s day, we grabbed from fresh pastry at Knead before a hike to the top of Table Mountain. It was such a surreal experience. Cloud-covered mountains over crystal clear seas while vegetation bloomed during their spring....I'll let the pictures resonate because my words could never capture how amazing this trek was. 

On my last night there, I lost my credit cards and identification in a taxi just after withdrawing 800 rand. Once again, God's hand was over me to make sure I had enough money to get back to the airport and onto Phokeng for the Special Olympics Africa Unity Cup hosted by the Royal Bafokeng Nation.

  
Some people compare Capetown to LA because of the mountainous landscape just miles away from the beautiful ocean (or two). This definitely wasn't the Africa I had envisioned, but it was just what I craved. We hit up a local bar where hipsters sipped local lagers (definitely not craft), hiked up the top of Table Mountain only to take a rotating cable car down. And as I search for culinary inspiration for a competition, I was able to find that as well.

Capetown check.  The village of Phokeng, home of platinum next.





The Score 

Window Seat by Erykah Badu

 

The Coolest by Lupe Fiasco

 “I love the lord, But sometimes it's like that I love me more..."

Below My Feet by Mumford & Sons

  "Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn..."

Waterfront by Jamie Woon

"I decided to go out and breathe in the air I was made for
There were ten thousand greys in the sky
Not a single soul around
Seems no one likes to be rained on..."

Caught A Long Wind by Feist

“I caught a long wind
A long life wind
I got to know the sky
But it didn't know me
Got to see the light
And land on top of the sea
And be the bird, be the key”

 Wild as the Wind by Esperanza Spalding

Everything in its Right Place by Radiohead