Greetings from South Africa

Hello to all

I'm having a wonderful time seeing the sights and meeting new friends. Penny, Emma and I left Atlanta on May 17th, 7:00pm and arrived in Johannesburg May 18th at 10:00am origin time and 4:00pm Jo'burg time. The flight was smooth, so much in fact, that I felt like I was sitting in my chair at home watching the movie (The Man From Snowy River). I had a good nights sleep and excellent meals. When we landed, Penny stayed with me to the last security before I went to waiting area for Kulula flight. She would have gone further if she could, but as she did not have a boarding pass, they would not let her through. She & Emma were being picked up by TMI staff and going back to their base for the week to do sewing and teach puppet ministry. I am so thankful for her guidance and companionship for the whole way from Orlando to Jo'burg.

My flight left Jo'burg at 7:00pm and I arrived at Capetown at 9:00pm. As I entered the terminal and scanned the crowd, I saw the most handsome man in the whole wide world waiting for me. He had been here in SA since Nov. 18th visiting with his son and daughter-in-law, hiking and seeing the sights. It was a joyful reunion. A friend had brought him to the airport and waited with him until I arrived, then took us to the Long Street Backpackers. We had a private room just beyond the dorm room with bathroom next door. There were stairs to various levels, a lovely courtyard, kitchen where you could store & prepare your own food, TV room and balconies on each level facing Long Street. At night, Long Street resembles what I think New Orleans would be like - music coming from many cafes and people walking up and down the sidewalks.

Friday morning we ate breakfast at Mr. Pickwicks Cafe for the Mr. Energy breakfast - 1 egg, toast, bacon, tomatoes, fried potatoes & onions, "sausage" (in reality a hot dog) and a Frappaccino - oh so good! Bottled water is called "still" water here. We ate on the balcony overlooking Long Street. There are murals and paintings on many of the walls. You can see Table Mountain from there - actually you can see it from most anywhere in Capetown. Gene introduced me to the people who work there. They were glad I was finally here & had arrived safely.

We walked down the street to Ice, a clothing store, I browsed but found nothing I wanted to purchase. Next stop was Funkadelik Strawberry. I tried on a couple outfits that looked lovely on the hangers, but weren't styled for my body shape. Gene did find a blouse of muted greens & blues that looked very nice on me, so I purchased it. An American dollar is approximately 7 Rand, so I'm learning how to multiply x 7 real well. The blouse was about $11.00.

Gene took me down to the Penthouse where he first stayed when he came to Capetown and showed me around. Again, wonderful murals, etc. on the walls and doors - very colorful. The hallways and stairways are like a maze. He took me to the top where we had a birds eye view of the surrounding buildings, Table Mountain and Devil's Peak.

Next stop was Music of Africa store. Only the CD cases are displayed - actual CD's are kept safe elsewhere. An interesting concept. From there we walked to Green Market Square where the booths for crafts, souvenirs, etc are set up. By that time I was getting weary, so I didn't browse.
I did meet Evelyn, Susan & Nonzeme who have a booth on the corner. She has a set of chess pieces Gene is interested in.

Although I was still full from breakfast (4 hours previous), we went to Kanai and I had a chicken snack wrap and a fruit smoothie. Again, delicious. A visit to the internet cafe R5 for 1 hour so Gene & I could check emails and let family know I was here safely.

There is a section of the Berlin Wall at St. George Square where Gene took my picture. Across the street is the St. George Cathedral - beautiful architecture! I later took a picture of it.

Back to our room. The windows are open and there are no screens, but I have only seen a couple insects. I took a much needed nap while Gene (Mr. Energy himself) took his SD card to have some prints made to give to people.

Later in the evening, I took a nice hot shower and we went across the street to Mama Africa for dinner. It's a very busy place and reservations are suggested. We had a table next to the window where we could see the hustle and bustle on the sidewalk. Gene ordered Grapetizer and Appletizer for us - a carbonated grape juice and apple juice - a very refreshing drink. If I had known how big the salad was going to be, I would have passed on the entree. The "garden" salad had cherry tomatoes (sliced so they wouldn't go flying when you put your fork into it), squares of cheese, cucumber, corn relish, 3 bean salad and pineapple beautifully arranged on a bed of lettuce served with a variety of breads. Gene ordered the Mama Catch of the Day and I ordered the Karoo Lamb Chops - both served with rice. I made it through 1 1/2 lamb chops (there were 4 on the plate) and a little rice before I hit the full mark. There was a band playing in the next room and we stopped to listen for a little bit, then back to the room.

Sat. morning Gene was up bright & early and went to the kitchen to eat his cereal. I, not quite so energetic, slept in until 9:30. He said I still looked pretty wiped out when he came back to the room. I went to the kitchen for breakfast, then back to my room to wait for Gene and finish waking up (no coffee to help). When he came back he surprised me with a close haircut. He hadn't had one since he arrived in Nov, so was looking pretty bushy.

We took off for City Centre to meet a vendor friend of his meeting "Eggman" on the way. He has a collection of items (including eggshells) put together that he balances on his head and walks around. When I get home and download my pictures to my computer, I'll be able to show you as truly a picture is worth a thousand words. I purchased a giraffe pair and then we went to McDonald's at Golden Acre (a mall) for lunch. I decided another day was needed to explore the mall.

Back to our room and I rested a bit, then we walked back down to Green Market Square to see the concert. We decided it was a good time to grab a bite while everyone was at the concert, so went back to Long Street Cafe for pizza. The crust is extremely thin - much thinner than US - and very tasty.

That night was Carnival and I had a prime seat on the balcony. Gene went down to the street to stand by the lights where he could get good pictures. It's the first parade I have been able to see without someone tall stepping in front of me. It was the best parade I have ever seen - lots of music, groups in costumes/traditional clothing and high energy dancing. Then, to my delight, the parade turned around and came back by. I took movies so I could catch all the music and dancing. There was a group of young people on the balcony with me who had been doing volunteer work in an orphanage nearby. They were from England and one girl from Sweden. They were a delightful group and I enjoyed spending the evening with them.

Sunday was a busy day (like the others weren't?). Gene & I packed our belongings and moved them down to Cat & Moose (yes, moose) Backpackers Lodge for the remainder of our stay here.
After breakfast, we took a taxi to the Metro Rail terminal, Gene purchased our tickets and I was introduced to yet another new experience. Gene chose seats where I could see Table Mountain the whole way (except where buildings blocked it) and I was able to see different trees, plants and flowers. On Sundays they have "train preachers" who ride the car and preach the gospel to those on board. On the way to Plumsted, the preacher spoke English and used much Scripture to present our need for Jesus as our Savior. He was very good. We arrived at the Plumsted terminal and walked a short distance to Plumsted Baptist Church for the service at 10:30. Gene introduced me to many wonderful people and I felt right at home. Pastor Jason brought an excellant message from James 4th chapter.

After service, we took the Metro to Retreat. Another new experience of riding in a "suicide" taxi. It's actually a van that only charges R5 to take you to your destination rather than a metered taxi that charges by distance or time. They have capacity for 12 - 14 people and sometimes put more in - hence the term "suicide". Our driver was a very responsible driver and went out of his way to take us to our destination. We had intended on visiting a friend in Zeekoevlei, but she wasn't home. The driver waited for us and when we determined she wasn't there, he took us back to the Metro Rail terminal. Gene paid him more than he asked because of his helpfulness. Scripture tells us "a workman is worthy of his hire" and he certainly was. We waited for the train to take us back to Capetown. Gene bought a Coke and candy bar for me - I needed some caffeine & sugar at that point - and boarded the train for the trip "home".

It has been a delight to see the variety of clothing of different cultures here. It's called "little Europe" because of the diversity of cultures. I have seen women carrying small children on their back in a shawl carrier, women balancing loads on their heads, men & women in Indian and Muslim dress. At the Lodge we have met young people from Germany, England, Italy and many parts of Africa.

Back at Capetown, we walked back to the Lodge through Company's Gardens - a cool and peaceful walk. We have seen camera crews filming in various places. We think these are advertisements for upcoming World Cup to begin in June. We heard part of a speech as we walked through the Gardens - Monday the 22nd is Human Rights Day.

I was delighted with the room at Cat & Moose. It is right off the courtyard and you can hear the water running into the pool throughout the day. The kitchen is upstairs with TV room and balcony. Some young people are on holiday, while others stay here in a dorm room rather than rent a flat. Gene took a walk to the store for supper while I rested. He brought back a delicious salad for both of us and we enjoyed it in our room.

Monday dawned a beautiful day. We ate our breakfast of cereal & fruit upstairs in the kitchen, then walked down to the City Centre where we caught a taxi/van and went to the Victoria & Albert Waterfront. There is a large mall there, restaurants and working marina. We took pictures of boats, Table Mountain, Lion's Head, entertainers (including a Native American!) walked over to the Aquarium, which was closed because of the holiday, and saw a seal who obligingly flopped up onto the dock so we could take pictures. In the mall, I stopped at Crabtree & Evelyn's and the salesperson showed me "fragrance layering" with Rose cream & a spritz of Eau de Toillette. I left truly "smelling like a rose" - a lovely moment.

We took a taxi back to the Lodge, Gene went again to the store for supper, I ate & went to bed early. My little legs were protesting at the walking I had done .

Yesterday, Tuesday was rest day for me. We walked to the store & purchased items for supper, then Gene rubbed linament on my legs and I slept/rested the rest of the day. He ran errands, etc. I fixed spaghetti & salad for supper. I, who have such a set routine at home, have become quite flexible.. My time is up. Goodbye for now.