So that bad weather from yesterday? It carried over to today, unfortunately. After breakfast we waited for a break in the weather and set up Long Street, towards an area of the city known as Gardens. Gardens is in the northern part of the city running up to the bottom of Table Mountain, and is primarily residential. We didn't get very far though, as the wind began to pick up and the rain started again.
We decided to drop exploring Cape Town's suburbs for the moment, and headed back down Long Street in the direction of the Waterfront. Our destination was our "rainy-day" option, the District Six Museum. The museum gives the history of an area of the city known as District Six. Once a vibrant multi-ethnic community, in the 1960s the district was declared a "whites only" part of the city by the apartheid government, and whole families had their homes bulldozed and were forcibly moved to the Cape Flats (mentioned in my first post, the city's most dangerous area). We had to stop a couple times on the way down there as the rain stopped and then started again, finding cover under awnings, chatting as we waited for a break.
The museum was disappointing. It was far too small, and didn't really offer that much. The story of District Six is an interesting and sad one, and I don't think the museum did it too much justice. Our guide book said that if you can only visit one museum it should be this one. Not so sure about that. Yes it is right to try an learn something about one of the more brutal actions taken by the apartheid government, but both of us weren't all that impressed.
After leaving the weather looked like it might finally have finished being a bitch, so we used the rest of the afternoon to go down to the waterfront to grab a quick lunch and to finish off our souvenir shopping. Crowds were still out in full force, and even the sun managed to enter the stage.
After completing our shopping lists we rested up a bit and then made out again for Cape Town's northern suburbs. We explored a residential area known as Oranjezicht. By this time the sun was sticking around, and made for a pleasant stroll through the quiet streets (well, it took some work, the streets are pretty steep. They basically run up the side of Table Mountain, mind). It was an interesting walk. There are some nice homes up there, it is obviously a very wealthy area (we looked at some ads at a property development shop on the way up, looks like some homes can go for 1 million bucks up there), but it feels like a place under siege. Most of the homes had high walls with the logos of security services pasted on, warning off any would-be thieves. It didn't end there, nearly all had some form of sharp object on top of those walls, mainly spikes, like you would see on the top of a gate. Others were a bit more extreme. Barbed wire wasn't altogether uncommon. Some were a little more creative, with clusters of nails sticking out (one house went so far as to put fake leaves over the nails, a bit conscience about their look perhaps). Our personal favorite though was the (quite common) electrified fencing running on top of the garden walls. Yes, you read that right. Electrified. Fencing. I guess I am not in Whitesboro anymore. As we walked by a few homes, some unhappy-sounding dogs were there to greet us. One scared the absolute shit out of me, rushing the gate as we passed. Sneaky bugger. Suffice to say, fear of crime apparently runs pretty high in Cape Town's suburbs. I looked at the statistics for Oranjezicht. 90% of the residents are white.
After another brief rest at the hotel room, we set out for our last adventure of the day: ostrich. We went back to the nearby restaurant recommended by the hotel for an ostrich burger. Obviously a very popular place, we had to wait a few minutes, but eventually got a table. It didn't take us long to find our prey on the menu, and both ordered the ostrich burger, known as the Big Bird at this place (the Royale Eatery, it's called).
Verdict: It was pretty good. I think Joe was a bit more impressed than I was, but I would give it a satisfactory rating. It tastes pretty good, and is healthier for you than beef. South Africans may be on to something there.
And so ended what will hopefully be our quietest day. We have some things planned out for tomorrow (weather permitting of course). You know where to find the details..........
We decided to drop exploring Cape Town's suburbs for the moment, and headed back down Long Street in the direction of the Waterfront. Our destination was our "rainy-day" option, the District Six Museum. The museum gives the history of an area of the city known as District Six. Once a vibrant multi-ethnic community, in the 1960s the district was declared a "whites only" part of the city by the apartheid government, and whole families had their homes bulldozed and were forcibly moved to the Cape Flats (mentioned in my first post, the city's most dangerous area). We had to stop a couple times on the way down there as the rain stopped and then started again, finding cover under awnings, chatting as we waited for a break.
The museum was disappointing. It was far too small, and didn't really offer that much. The story of District Six is an interesting and sad one, and I don't think the museum did it too much justice. Our guide book said that if you can only visit one museum it should be this one. Not so sure about that. Yes it is right to try an learn something about one of the more brutal actions taken by the apartheid government, but both of us weren't all that impressed.
After leaving the weather looked like it might finally have finished being a bitch, so we used the rest of the afternoon to go down to the waterfront to grab a quick lunch and to finish off our souvenir shopping. Crowds were still out in full force, and even the sun managed to enter the stage.
After completing our shopping lists we rested up a bit and then made out again for Cape Town's northern suburbs. We explored a residential area known as Oranjezicht. By this time the sun was sticking around, and made for a pleasant stroll through the quiet streets (well, it took some work, the streets are pretty steep. They basically run up the side of Table Mountain, mind). It was an interesting walk. There are some nice homes up there, it is obviously a very wealthy area (we looked at some ads at a property development shop on the way up, looks like some homes can go for 1 million bucks up there), but it feels like a place under siege. Most of the homes had high walls with the logos of security services pasted on, warning off any would-be thieves. It didn't end there, nearly all had some form of sharp object on top of those walls, mainly spikes, like you would see on the top of a gate. Others were a bit more extreme. Barbed wire wasn't altogether uncommon. Some were a little more creative, with clusters of nails sticking out (one house went so far as to put fake leaves over the nails, a bit conscience about their look perhaps). Our personal favorite though was the (quite common) electrified fencing running on top of the garden walls. Yes, you read that right. Electrified. Fencing. I guess I am not in Whitesboro anymore. As we walked by a few homes, some unhappy-sounding dogs were there to greet us. One scared the absolute shit out of me, rushing the gate as we passed. Sneaky bugger. Suffice to say, fear of crime apparently runs pretty high in Cape Town's suburbs. I looked at the statistics for Oranjezicht. 90% of the residents are white.
After another brief rest at the hotel room, we set out for our last adventure of the day: ostrich. We went back to the nearby restaurant recommended by the hotel for an ostrich burger. Obviously a very popular place, we had to wait a few minutes, but eventually got a table. It didn't take us long to find our prey on the menu, and both ordered the ostrich burger, known as the Big Bird at this place (the Royale Eatery, it's called).
Verdict: It was pretty good. I think Joe was a bit more impressed than I was, but I would give it a satisfactory rating. It tastes pretty good, and is healthier for you than beef. South Africans may be on to something there.
And so ended what will hopefully be our quietest day. We have some things planned out for tomorrow (weather permitting of course). You know where to find the details..........
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