*Discovering Maharajah, a fabulous and dirt-cheap vegetarian Indian take-away. They are known for “bunny chow,” in which they fill hollowed-out bread with a curry dish. Legend has it that the dish came about during apartheid, when non-whites were not allowed to sit in restaurants, requiring portable dishes served through back doors. They also have the nicest owner, who has posted numerous articles about the ethics and environmental impact of eating animals; it's pretty harsh reading for a restaurant wall.
*Going to Robben Island (in part inspired by seeing it from the mountain) and hearing the story of Mandela and his fellow political prisoners. All guides on the island
are former political prisoners, and so they use their own stories to tell the history of the island. It was so powerful. Below is one of the cells that housed multiple prisoners, and to the right is the prisoners' menu, segregated by race.
*Seeing the sun rise from Signal Hill, yet another amazing viewpoint along the Table Bay shoreline. An artist was there too, and he called the guinea fowl over so that I could take a picture. Happily, my fear of birds is ebbing.
*Day trip to the winelands: beautiful view, lovely, creative food, abysmal service--as in, we waited 90 minutes to get our food. We consoled ourselves by watching glass-blowing and climbing goats.
*Coming across a Michael Jackson dance memorial. Unfortunately, I had left my camera at home, but it was covered on the news.
*The Woodstock Neighbourgoods Market, an interesting two-mile walk from my flat. It’s one of Cape Town’s many markets, but the only one I know of that focuses on local farmers, as well as local crafts and young artists (see the pillowcase on the left). Mostly I went because I heard the food was outstanding--and it was! Here are some of the delicacies we sampled: raw chocolate, goat cheese (vanilla, oak smoked, chili, olive), goulash, smoked olives, goji berries, raw muesli, Dutch almond cake baked onto a spice biscuit, rye bread with olives, raw honey with hazelnuts, Moroccan harissa, avocado almond pesto, almond rocket pesto, bacon-wrapped mushroom kebabs, and a fresh spring roll with butternut squash, pineapple, and smoked chicken. We bought the last two items once the guilt of free samples became too much to bear.*Going on pain rounds at a pediatric hospital. Admittedly, it's not in keeping with the touristy nature of this post, but it reflects how I spend 5/7 days--just not the picturesque ones. It was heartbreaking and a powerful motivator to do my small part to help.
*Booking a two-day safari to Kruger! In the meantime, lots of interviews this week, and some local traveling. Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend.
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