As usual, I start of writing a lot and it kind of peters out….. Here’s what we did after Cape Town. We arrived in Johannesburg and noticed the difference immediately. It was cooler and the population seemed more African and less European. We stopped in an Arts district and I had an excellent lunch of African food. I tried some impala burger (which was tasty) and a had a traditional dish of pap - kind of like polenta or grits, sausage, spicy beans, and eggs. After that there was a wander through the neighborhood. I checked out the amazing graffiti, had some banana bread from a small shop and talked to the proprietor of The Bioscope Independent Cinema. We then went to the Apartheid Museum. Fun was over. When you first walk through the entrance you get sorted into two categories white and non-white. This is reminiscent of the segregated South in America. As you enter you learn a little history of the first people’s to live in Southern Africa and how they were treated by the early Europeans (Portuguese then Dutch then English). Then there was large temporary exhibit on Nelson Mandela for his 100th birthday. A fascinating man with an incredible story. Then you learn the history of apartheid. It is unfathomable man’s brutality to man. That it happened after WWII and the Holocaust is inconceivable. If you want to see evil perpetrated by the state, apartheid is the poster child. I remember in the 80’s the boycotts and sanctions brought to bear on South Africa to make it change its ways. I never understood what apartheid was. It is racism and segregation on steroids. During our trip we heard personal stories of how apartheid affected people. How it kept a cheap labor force for the mines and fields. How families were torn apart by the system. How the system contributed to the South African AIDS epidemic. A later trip to the notorious Prison Number Four added another element to the story. Black men where jailed for not having their papers and what they suffered in the jail I won’t describe. But to think they suffered these cruelties, were released and then, knowingly, defied the authorities and were sent back to jail. To fight the injustice, knowing the hell you would return to took a bravery I am not sure I could muster. People’s dignity taken, their lives destroyed and yet, at the end, forgiveness and the forging of a new nation. Between the gut wrenching trips to the Museum and the prison we toured Lilesleaf, the hideout for the ANC during the early 60’s. We learned a bit of Mandela’s time there and then about Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the arm of the ANC that was ready to commit acts of violence. The ANC realized that non violent measures would not work agains the Apartheid government and decided to add armed conflict to the struggle. The farm was raided and the entire leadership was arrested. Notes from Nelson Mandela were found and he was arrested later. The leaders were tried for treason in 1964 in what is known as the Rivonia trial. The planned armed insurrection did not occur (although violence was part of the struggle). Mandela gave his famous Speech from the Dock were he said that he was prepared to die for the cause of freedom. He and seven others were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. The trial started to bring the world’s attention to South Africa. This was to be ramped up after the Soweto Student Uprising of June 16 1976 and the subsequent killing of school children including Hector Pieterson. We were lucky enough to hear from Hector’s sister as she described the events of that June day. Again, the story of the events is horrendous and the forgiveness that she shows remarkable. This trip has been amazing. What I have learned is astonishing. The correlations to our country (past and present) is concerning. Ordinary people, fed up with an unjust society took a stand. Ordinary people (with some extraordinary leaders) took down that unjust society. South Africa has had and continues to have its problems but maybe, just maybe, they can figure it out and have a true rainbow country. After the heaviness of the Apartheid Museum and the prison we went to a school in Johannesburg, but I’ll write about that another day. As always, thanks for reading (and look up The Apartheid Museum, Lilesleaf, the Rivonia Trial and the Soweto Student Uprising). Day 2 and 3 Well, I had WiFi problems so couldn’t post our next adventures so here are my latest thoughts and recollections. On Saturday, we went to Table Mountain. Table Mountain is considered one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and I would have to agree. The mountain looms over Cape Town and we could se it from almost everywhere we went in the city. When we arrived to the cable car that would take us to the top (one can hike to the top but not this one) we queued up and all 50+ of us got on one car. The floor of the cable car rotated so everyone would be able to see a 360 panorama on the ascent. when we arrived at the top, Betsy (my travel buddy) and I started to walk the trail. The vistas were breathtaking from one side you could see the Atlantic Ocean and the mountains such as the 12 Apostles that speckled the coast. As you walked around, the perspective changed but the beauty never diminished. After Reading the Patrick O’Brien “Master and Commander” novels I have been interested in the Cape of Good Hope. I always thought it was the Southern most tip of Africa and was where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans met but it is the most Southwesterly point of Africa and juts into the Atlantic Ocean. As we continued along the path the views of the ocean morphed into views of the city. Cape Town was started as a re-provisioning port for Dutch traders from the Dutch East Indies Company and the evolved into a town and then city and rule went from Dutch to British to the Union of South Africa. Again the views were breathtaking. We did see some animals on the plateau, dassies - which look a little like groundhogs and birds including hummingbirds. We even saw some sort of bird of prey clutching their victim in its claws only to drop it and the race down to catch it again. After lunch we went to the District 6 Museum. District 6 was a mixed race neighborhood in Cape Town that was reclassified as a white area in the 1970’s. Over 60,000 of its residents were forcibly moved from their homes in the 1970’s(!) by the apartheid regime and this museum was a remembrance of the trauma of that undertaking. It told the stories of the “colored” families through artifacts, recollections, and artwork. After that sobering visit I had a short walk back to the hotel through the center of town past the old Dutch “castle”, the city hall (site of a famous Nelson Mandela speech) and even a visit to a supermarket. That evening we went to dinner at Africa Cafe which was just around the corner from the hotel. Here we were able to sample a variety of dishes from throughout the continent. Everything was very flavorful and I enjoyed every dish that I tried. I ended the evening at a biergarten with a few of my companions enjoying the fellowship that travel like this creates among people. The next morning we slept in a bit and then were off to Stellenbosch and the Spier winery. This excursion cemented in my mind the European-ness of Cape Town. The town was full of buildings that would seem at home in the Mediterranean with white walls and trendy shops and cafes. The walls were not the only hing that was whit as the majority of the people that we saw were white, as well. In the Cape area I would say that we saw a disproportionate number of whites as compared to the racial makeup of the country. While the laws of apartheid have been stricken down, it does seem to me that a defect apartheid still exists. Service jobs are filled by blacks or “colored”-those of mixed race or Malaysian ancestry and the consumers are all white. Our guide said that most of the whites are tourists, but I’m not so sure. After the winery, we had the afternoon to ourselves. Betsy and I went to the Diamond Museum to learn a bit about one of South Africa’s most famous exports and then to the Cape Town City Museum to learn a bit about the early Dutch years. After dinner there was game of “snake oil” with a few companions as well as lobby wine (basically a few bottles of wine in the lobby while playing the game) and then off to bed for the early morning trip to Johannesburg. Cape Town seemed very European. I am looking forward to a bit more of Africa in Johannesburg. As always, thanks for reading!!
After over 18 hours on a plane and 10 hours of layover, we made it to Cape Town and to bed! We woke up after a few hours sleep, had breakfast and were off to visit the Southern Penninsula School. Schooling in South Africa, is a little confusing, there are public schools and private schools. The public schools are either free or you have to pay a student fee that could be hundreds (maybe even more) of dollars. The Southern Peninsula School is a public school that charges about $600 in student fees (not the most but somewhere in the middle of the pack in fees). Their students do very well and most go on to college. Alternatively, the students at the free public schools do not do well because pretty much you get what you pay for. They have no supplies and many of their teachers are unaccredited. We think we have problems with our school funding but it is nothing compared to challenges in South Africa. The haves still have and the have nots haven’t a chance except for luck. SP, through an non-profit organization, provides scholarships for 25 students per grade to come to their school and we met with these students. The students gave us a tour of the school and Tristan, my guide, was a freshman who wanted to have his own business. We visited a few classes, spoke with a few teachers , and then listened to a few songs from their jazz band which haas been asked to play next year’s Cape Town Jazz fest. It was interesting seeing all the students (dressed in Gryffindor colors) as they went about their day, no cell phones or any personal technology was present - teenagers without earbuds… an interesting sight!
After SP, we went to lunch at Harbour House at Kalk Bay, the bay is supposedly full of sharks but, unfortunately we didn’t see any. Next was a trip back into Center City and to an arts group called Rainbow Academy (http://rainbowacademy.co.za/). There was singing and dancing. The youth were very talented: their dance moves looked as fluid like water and their musical skills very impressive. A long day was ended by dinner at a Portuguese restaurant MareSol and then back to the hotel. I was impressed with the students at both SP and Rainbow Academy. They were very welcoming and had ambition to transcend their current life in Cape Town. The joy with which the Rainbow Academy students performed was infectious. They sang and danced song after song and never seemed to lose their enthusiasm. It was a beautiful sight. Thanks for Reading! I’m sitting at the gate in Detroit with a few hours to kill so this seems like the perfect time to make my thank you’s to everyone who has made this trip possible. I am on my way to South Africa with as an NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow. Of course I have to thank my principal, Beth Howell for her encouragement of outside the box thinking and her adherence to doing what is best for our students. I also need to thank Maya Aldas and Joe Parret who took outside the box thinking and showed me how to put it into practice. The late Ray Theilacker , Barbara Prillaman, Kathy Gormley, Trish Hermance and everyone else involved in the Delaware Teachers Institute. My participation in the Institute has given me the confidence to apply for opportunities such as this. I also need to thank whoever at the NEA Foundation read my application and thought me a worthy addition to this all star cast of educators (seriously, look at what they’ve accomplished, its mind blowing). Lastly I need to thank my wife, Merry, who, once again, has let me slip the leash of domestic duties to go off on some adventure (and whose idea it was that I become a teacher but that’s another story). And, finally an apology to my traveling companion Betsy, I am sure my jokes and stories will get old and I apologize in advance. Thanks for reading! Betsy and I at the gate in Detroit.
Made it back to Delaware after our 5 days on the Big Island. We were about 2 hours from the volcanic activity so we did not see any lava or even the glow from the lava. What we did see was "vog", on the coast it wasn't bad but you could see it blanketing the surrounding hillsides. We stayed 2 blocks off of Alii Drive near Kahlua-Kona which was a short drive to a "salt and pepper" beach with really great snorkeling. The beach, Pahoehoe, had black and white large grains of sand and rocks leading into the water. The rocks were slippery and sharp so getting in and out of the water was always a challenge. The water itself was calm and clear and full of sea life. We saw many fish and coral formations and everyone, but me, saw turtles. One day we drove through the ancient (and not so ancient) lava fields to the south. The lava fields look just like brownie batter. We stopped at a black sand beach where the water was much rougher. Here we saw turtles surfing the waves as they tried to graze off of the rocks in the shallow water. We also went to the "Place of Refuge" the Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park. If you broke the law the penalty was death. If you could make it to the Place of Refuge before you were captured, you would be safe. We walked the rugged shoreline looking at huts, old rock walls and ki'i (carved wooden images) that surrounded the temple. Of course you can't go to Hawaii and not attend a luau! We went to the Voyagers of the Pacific show at the Royal Kona (big discount when ordering online!) They provided all the Mai-Tai's you cared to drink and a variety of island food including steamed pork cooked all day in an earthen oven. The world is a big place so what are the odds that you would run into someone you know at a luau on the Big Island? A man in front of us was talking about the Orioles so I asked if he was from Maryland, he was and one of the people in his party had lived in Newark, taught at the University, and had even lived in our neighborhood just before we moved in. Small world, right? Well the world got even smaller when his wife walked up and it was Luci's 9th grade ELA teacher! Another day we drove through the center of the island between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. The island of Hawaii is the tallest mountain in the world (as measured from the sea floor) and the top of Mauna Kea was shrouded in clouds (and vog) so we could not see whether there was snow on the top or not. We drove though rain showers to the town of Hilo and visited the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens where they had many plants from throughout the tropical world. We went to Akaka Falls, and then followed the coast around to Waimea and a delicious gourmet dinner at Merriman's ($$$ on Yelp, I'd hate to see how much $$$$ was) and then back to the house. One of the many highlights of the trip was our final excursion, a kayak tour to Captain Cook Monument in Kealakekua Bay. The five of us kayaked across the bay for about 1/2 an hour (2 each in a kayak with Nana going with one of the guides) and landed at the spot of Captain Cook's death (https://tinyurl.com/yark2ns5). We snorkeled and saw countless fish of all kinds of colors. Unfortunately, we did not see any turtles or dolphins but the variety of fish, coral, sea urchins and the massive drop off to the deep made it all worthwhile! The next morning we were off on our return to Delaware. All in all it was great trip with history, geography, geology, biology all wrapped up with swimming and eating (and a fair bit of driving). As always, thanks for reading and look for my reflections on my journey to South Africa which starts on Wednesday! (I'm really looking forward to some 24 hours in planes!) We've spent the last 6 days on Oahu and it has been pretty spectacular. The water has even been warm enough for me to go swimming. We are staying in an Air BnB in the town of Kailua about 30 minutes drive from the beach, Honolulu, and PearlHarbor. We spent two days driving the perimeter of the island. On the first day we drove north to the North Shore, stopping to swim at Ahupua'a O'Kahana State Park. The park was uncrowded with beautiful clear blue water and just enough surf to ride the waves in to shore. We then continued to drive along the coast to the North Shore and snorkeled in the calm waters of "Shark Cove". The cove is a natural pool full of tropical fish. We swam around the algae covered rocks seeing many colorful fish. Rory and Luci even swam with a sea turtle! The cove was next to Sunset Beach which is famous for its 20 ft waves during the winter. During summer, the ocean is very calm, its hard to imagine surfers crowding it in a few months. We dined on North Shore shrimp from a food truck and then settled in to watch the sunset, our 4th of July fireworks. The next day we drove west to the leeward side of the island going from tropical greenery to deserty tans and browns. The surf was much rougher as the landscape became more desolate. We stop to snorkel in the choppy waters of Hawaiian Electric Beach Park, sitting in the shadows of an electric generating plant. We saw a few fish but nothing special. We continued on our journey and ended up at the end of the road, Kaena Point State Park. My plans of circumnavigating the island were foiled by the fact that no road connects the Leeward to the North Shore. Instead we went to pay our respects to the Shark God, Ka-moho-ali'i, in his cave. We then wandered down the lava field onto the shoreline littered with tide pools and rusted out cars. After meditations on what it all means we were back to the apartment, with a stop off at Kailua beach for a refreshing dip. The next day was off to Honolulu with stops first at Diamond Head for a quick hike up the crater and then a snorkel session at Hanauma Nature Preserve. We arrived at Diamond Head before 8:00 Am to find the parking lot already filled up. I dropped off the family so they could hike up and went to find a parking spot farther down the hill. Merry, Luci, Rory, and Nana hiked to the top of the crater for 360 views. After their hike (and a smoothie) we were off to the Nature Preserve to swim with the fishes. On our first pass, the parking lot was full but when I turned around the lot magically opened and we were able to go in. The Preserve is a bay that was created by a volcanic crater that part of the cone has collapsed and filled with water. There are many fish and turtles (or so we were led to believe) and also many snorkelers. While we did see some fish, and two Hawaiian Monk Seals(!), there were more fish and less people at Shark Cove. We went back to the apartment, changed, and were off to Honolulu. We first stopped at the Art Museum and took a look at the Hawaiian Art and some Modern Art and then off to Waikiki. Honolulu is like any other big city except it seems with less parking. We finally find a spot and did our duty and went shopping. We never actually saw Waikiki Beach except for a glimpse out the car window. From what I saw, I prefer the parks that we visited. The next day, yesterday, we were off the Pearl Harbor. While you cannot go on the USS Arizona Memorial, you can still watch the documentary about December 7th 1941 and then take a boat ride out to the memorial. It is a very moving experience. The park service does an excellent job of bringing home the brutality of war. I was surprised (but really shouldn't be) at the number of Japanese tourists that come to Pearl Harbor. The day we were there, we toured with a great number of Japanese High School students. We saw where the war started and then we toured where it ended, the decks of the USS Missouri. The battleship was huge and we toured the decks, including the "surrender deck" , below decks, and the navigation decks. hearing about how devastating the guns are, I can't believe anyone ever survives during a war. There is an interesting story about the time a kamikaze pilot hit the decks of the Missouri, there are photographs of the attack and personal recollections - the bomb he was carrying did not explode so the only fatality was the pilot. I find it interesting that when the pilot's body was found, the Captain of the Missouri made sure that he was buried at sea with military honors, the signalmen of the Missouri even sewed a Japanese Rising Sun Flag to send him to accompany him to the deep. Hearing McArthur's speech that he gave during the surrender ceremony shows the stark difference between the political climate of the 1940's, one of reconciliation and cooperation, even after the atrocities of the war, and the climate that exists today. After this sobering and moving day, we went in search of shave ice. On Shave Ice: we have had 4 different versions of Hawaiian Shave Ice, at the Kailua General Store, at Island Snow (Obama's supposed favorite on the island), Island Vintage in Waikiki, and Wilson's General Store in Kailua. Sorry Mr. President but Island Snow was our least favorite (Thanks, Obama) with hard ice and dull flavors. Kailua General Store was the least expensive and the fluffiest with good flavor saturation (and three flavors on one cone!). Wilson's General Store was also very good with fluffy ice and good saturation (but only 2 flavors and more $). Island Vintage was a different animal. It was much more expensive but had natural flavoring and included puree-like syrups on fluffy ice. I think I like Hawaiian Ice more than Italian Ice - but I will need to do more research on the Big Island. I just realized that my iPhone is saving pictures in a format I can't open on my computer... When I figure out how to change back to jpegs I will upload more pictures... Thanks for reading! Summer is here and so is my urge to travel. Last year my wife, Merry, kids, Luci and Rory and my mother-in-law, Ruth, had an adventure in Portugal. I didn't blog about that but feel the urge to write about our upcoming trip to Hawaii and my trip, later in July, to South Africa. So, if you're interested in what I have to say, check back starting July 3rd! (You can also read my earlier posts about Luci and my experiences in Southeast Asia a few years ago.
Many years ago, Merry and I went to the Big Island and we have always wanted to return. This trip will take us and our family to both Oahu and the island of Hawaii. Hawaii is an interesting place because it is both exotic and typically American. We'll have both runs to Costco and a traditional luau. We are not staying at a hotel or a resort but doing Air BnB on both islands. We had great experiences in Portugal using Air BnB and I am hoping that it won't disappoint in America. Thanks for reading! Dave Final musings sitting in the rain, poolside, at a creepy Singapore hotel. Our room is in the basement, no windows and dungeon-like, so we are sitting on the deck now in the rain. The room has made Luci pretty grumpy. Tonight and tomorrow we will go to Arab Street, Gardens By the Bay and maybe Little India or Chinatown for our final adventures on this trip. So far, besides this hotel room and a scam taxi ride in Hanoi, there have been no wrong notes on the whole trip. Everyone we have met has been super nice. The cynic in me says it is because they want to sell me something but I think that, actually, everyone is truly very nice. We have been welcomed warmly by all and it has been great for both of us to experience these varied cultures first hand. Talking with the young European travelers and Asian students and workers on our trip (I hope) has given Luci a new sense of what is actually possible to do in this world - to leave fear at the airport gate and see what this world has to offer. When I combine our experiences with the ongoing tales of Danielle and Rob and Erin, Jeff, and Marlee, I am excited to start saving for new adventures - with the whole family next time. I strongly urge you to do the same. Whether Rome, Rio, Hong Kong or New York City, dream a bit and makes those dreams come true! So ends this summer's entries onto "Travels with Mr. O". Thanks to Merry and Rory for holding down the fort while we adventured! I wonder what next year's plan will be? Any ideas? As always, thanks for reading! Dave PS Went to Gardens By the Bay, which is a Star Wars set meets Longwood Gardens mash up. In commemoration of Singapore's 50th anniversary (which was yesterday), they had a sound and light show among these colossal structures that are supposed to be trees. Pretty cool to stumble across the celebration. Last night we went on a street food tour. There were four of us on this walking tour along with our guide, Moon, a young woman from Hanoi eager to share her cities flavors. Our first stop was Bun Rieu Cua, rice noodles in tamarind broth with tofu, pork,and rice paddy crab. Moon showed us which condiments to use and how to eat it with both chopsticks and spoon. Delicious. Next, she stopped a woman on a bicycle so we could taste mangosteens. You cut the fruit open and eat the white sections inside. A little further walk to Banh Cuon Nong, transparently thin rice powder pancakes filled with chicken, beef, pork, and mushrooms. Delectable. After that we had a snack. Shaved coconut, fried sugar cane and black sesame seeds rolled into rice paper. That was followed by pillow cakes and fried spring rolls at Quan Goc Da which has been turning out these delights for over 100 years. Filled with various meats, you dipped these in fish sauce doctored with garlic and chiles before popping in your mouth. The main event was the best Bun Cha in Hanoi. Bun Cha is bbq pork, rice noodles, and greens in a heavenly kumquat and honey broth. This was so good that the little outdoor kitchen had a four story seating area behind it. We continued our walk with beer hoi, fresh beer, in hand. This beer is brewed and served daily for as little as 25 cents a glass. We finished with Bahn Mi (Vietnamese pork sandwich) and egg coffee. Egg coffee is drip coffee topped with a egg yolk sweetened with honey and a whipped up with a splash of beer. A curiously good after dinner drink. Moon did an excellent job explaining the dishes and the history of the food stands. All in all well worth the $20 per person. Although the food only cost probably $9 at most, we never would have stopped at most of the places. Luci and I continued our walk into the night market. We ran into the university students we had spoken to before our trip to Sapa so we feel we went full circle. Thanks for reading! |
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