The Western Cape

It hasn't ceased to amaze us how beautiful South Africa is.

For the past five days, putting over 1200 kilometers on the odometer and a lot of biltong (South African meat jerky) in our (read: David's) system, we have explored a small portion of South Africa's Western Cape. The two major highlights for us, striking in their beauty, were the wine town of Franschhoek and Cape Point.

Surrounded by dramatic craggy mountains, the small valley village of Franschhoek and its vineyards comprise the culinary capital of South Africa. Founded by French Huguenots, the town is a little piece of Provence. We ate well and stayed in a quaint room attached to a farm house. Our morning views included frolicking cows, horses and chickens all against the jaw-dropping backdrop that were the mountains. We'll take this moment to mention one major fact about South Africa that we have not yet addressed: the inequality between rich and poor (i.e., between white and black) is astounding. For example, in Franschhoek, while the white people drive Mercedes, drink Champagne every night, and lead lives that would make Europeans envious, the black people in the overwhelming majority don't have cars, live in massive shanty-towns resembling favelas, and often suffer from lack of electricity, education and running water. We have heard and read that the new (13 year old) black leadership is trying to address this disparity through policies such as Black Economic Empowerment (affirmative action on steroids), but many people are not feeling the benefits (hence one of the highest crime rates in the world -- one stolen car every 9 minutes!) and, in certain places, the racial tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. We've suggested to people that perhaps the 2010 World Cup will bring the country together, but we have yet to find someone who agrees with our idealism.

The second major highlight of our trip, the drive to Cape Point, was yet another magnificent piece of nature. Not only are you rewarded by the views of waves crashing on sandstone cliffs, lighthouses and wildflowers, but you get to drive along beaches filled with African penguins who let you go within 2 inches of their beaks with your camera lens. Our new favorite street sign reads: "Please check under your vehicle for penguins." We will post this image for your delight as soon as we can.

Finally, pictures describe our experiences better than words - click here for the photo album. Also, we just found out that our email newsletter is not working so email us if you want us to add you manually (if you've previously signed up then we will add you to the list automatically).
We will write again from Johannesburg or Singapore! We miss you all.