Come for a drive, go for a walk

Susan asked in the comments the other day if I lived in paradise. Some would say I do, though it's a funny sort of paradise. As I've said so often before, it's a strange juxtaposition - magnificent natural beauty sat alongside rampant crime, violence, inequality, poverty, xenophobia and corruption.

Anyway, you've seen plenty of shots of the natural beauty, you've heard plenty about the crime and violence and poverty, (if you haven't, take a stroll through the archives...), so today I thought I'd show you around the roads I travel daily, the routes I amble along on weekends. Most of these shots are snapped whilst driving, with the small Pentax - so I make no excuses for poor quality.

So, to start, the avenue where I live...

From one direction and from the other...


And then we'll go off to the supermarket, just two minutes by car, up the road... to the traffic circle, hang a left at the posh golf estate...


The small "village" shopping centre - on a Sunday afternoon. It has two small versions of two of the primary supermarkets in it and a whole lot of chi-chi boutiques, most of which seem to close as fast as they open. But there are some really nice restaurants and what can you say about the view...


Now we'll travel the road towards the city, which is on the other side of the mountains. The flat topped mountain is Table Mountain (seen from the "side"), the peak to the right is Devil's Peak. This motorway lies alongside the greenbelt (left of pic) which is at the end of the road where I live. To the right of the picture is a small dairy farm, where the cows graze right to edge of the motorway.


Constantiaberg Mountain, for now covered with pine plantations and vineyards - my backyard, so to speak...


Coming down Bishopscourt hill. The white wall to the left hides the Indonesian embassy. This area, which is a five minute drive down the motorway, assuming the traffic is flowing freely, (half an hour if it's jammed) is an old moneyed suburb and home to many embassies. And yes, the motorway cuts right through it...


This is one of my favourite views if I'm driving into town, or anywhere in that general direction.


The same road, at the next intersection. Getting stuck in traffic here really isn't a problem with a view like this. No matter what the season or the weather.


Here we come over the mountain from the other side, having been to watch the whales on the east coast of the Cape peninsula. The road in the pic below is known as Ou Kaapse Weg (literally translated as, Old Cape Road). It cuts right through the Table Mountain National Park which runs from north to south from the city centre to the tip of the peninsula. The Park, which is the most unique of wild and urban parks in the world covers a distance of approximately 60 kilometres and many of Cape Town's suburbs, including the one where I live, border it. It's one of the reasons why, if pickings are lean in the winter months, we get baboons in the neighbourhood...


Coming down the other side, False Bay lies ahead, filled at this time of year with whales. All year round though, great white sharks, ragged tooth sharks, sand sharks, seals and a variety of fish and sea creatures are plentiful.


Following the next bend in the road, as it zigzags down the mountain, the southern suburbs of Cape Town lie sprawled along the edge of the mountains which make up most of the Table Mountain National Park.


But enough driving, let's get out and walk awhile, following the streets in the neighbourhood and into the Park...

Shots taken of the stream around the corner...

And then into Table Mountain National Park - a mere five minute amble from my front door...

The area has been densely forested with pines for the past 100 years. Now, however, conservationists are striving to remove all the pines and eucalypts in the hope that the indigenous vegetation, known as fynbos, will resuscitate. So far, it's only geraniums that have sprouted with a vengeance... Mostly, for now, it's invasive aliens and lots of weeds that are making the most progress. The felling of the plantations has been hugely controversial, but let's not get me started on that topic again...


So, there you go, a day out with Vanilla, just going "round and about". And now I suppose you'd like me to invite you in for tea? Well, since you are there and I am here, my suggestion is a virtual tea party. I'll make a lemon meringue pie, and serve up some vanilla flavoured Rooibos tea, what are you bringing?

Angelic Encounters

It should be safe to take a walk. But not here. Not anymore. Not for a while…
I remember…

The greenbelt at the end of my road lies on the edge of the motorway linking the suburbs with the city. On one side of the motorway is a dairy farm with a small lake and an old Cape Dutch homestead. On the other side is a river, horse paddocks and the edge of pine plantations which go on to rise halfway up the mountain. The view from the hill looks out over rolling vineyards and towards the towering granite face of the side of Table Mountain. It’s beautiful. A picture of God’s grandeur and verdancy.
My two elderly Golden Retrievers and I liked to walk there.
We walked slowly, SJ with his arthritic bones couldn’t go very fast. B, the older dog, still thought he was three… We reached the top of the hill, paused to admire the view and sniff the scents. It was three in the afternoon. There were no other walkers. Not a good thing. It is wise to be wary when taking a stroll. It is not a time for reflection or meditation. This is South Africa…
I looked around - my eyes followed the path along the riverbank. Two men – about five hundred metres away from me. Black guys. This is not a statement of race. It is one of pragmatism. Most instances of crime are black on black and black on white. They looked up - saw me standing on the hill top. I watched them. They gazed back.
Turn around and go home now. The voice in my ear could not have been any clearer.
But the boys need a walk.
Not here. Not now.
Look, just because they’re black guys doesn’t mean they’re trouble. I don’t want to be another paranoid whitey.
You’re not being paranoid and your race is irrelevant.
I tell you what, I’ll go along a little way and if it doesn’t look good I’ll turn around.
No. Turn around now.
But…
I know you don’t want this to be race issue. But this about your safety. And you aren’t safe. Go back now. Put distance between yourself and them.
I was torn. I knew the voice was right. But I was so conscious of my paranoid whitey label. This is South Africa…
Contrary to every inner prompting I walked on.
As I descended the hill, one guy started to pee. Perhaps it was a call of nature. Perhaps it was a form of territorial behaviour. Perhaps it’s meant to cock a snook at the whitey. This is South Africa… He kept his eyes on me as he peed. Facing me. Defiant. His friend watched me too.
Shit.
Finished, he turned to his friend. The friend nodded, they shook hands and the friend started to run. Towards me. At me. Gaining pace. I should have known. This is South Africa…
“SJ,” I said, “we need to go home. I need you to run, baby, please. Try.” Fear snaked along the leads.
SJ look up at me. He understood.
We turned.
Don’t look back.
Up the hill. B bounding at my side, me dragging SJ. He couldn’t do it. I knew he couldn’t. He tried - so hard.
The guy was gaining on us. SJ was stumbling. My heart pounded. Fear throbbed in my ears.
I should have listened.
SJ tripped, fell onto the path.
The guy was close - maybe a hundred and fifty meters away.
I couldn’t leave my dog. Wouldn’t. I would take my chances.
I dropped to me knees. I stroked SJ’s head. “It’s okay, baby, it’s okay.”
He gazed up at me, despair in his eyes.
The guy raced towards us… and stopped – as though he’d hit a wall.
A look of puzzlement flickered across his face.
He stared at me.
“He’s old,” I murmured, “old man, sore legs.”
He tried to take a step towards us – faltered... His eyes widened. He seemed held - kept back.
He glanced around. His friend was no where to be seen. He looked at us again, confusion flooding his eyes. He muttered something - and took off – dashing towards the freeway.

I have no doubt that my boys and I were protected by an angel. I have never stopped saying thank you. There are greater things in this universe than the criminality of some South Africans…


The telling of this story was prompted by a recent report that a woman narrowly escaped rape whilst walking on the greenbelt...