Author: Steve

Well we’ve been in Cape Town for over a week and are settling in until November.  We rented an apartment for our time here.  With the kids starting virtual school we really wanted to have reliable wifi, we also wanted to give them time to get into a groove with study habits. Since we are unfamiliar with this area we did our best to concentrate on being in a safe, central location; we ended up on the marina in a 7-story building on the third floor.  This is still off-season so we were able to get off-season rates that are honored through our extended stay.  Spring began September 1^st, it will be fun to watch the season change.  The weather has been comfortable but cool, in the 60’s.  Another advantage of having our own apartment is being able to make our own meals. It’s been nice trading off making meals between the four of us and sharing the time with each other, not to mention the money savings.  At dinner last night we talked about the true definition of the word “extreme” and how we went from one extreme to the other within the same day.  When we left our hostel in Zambia one morning and stayed that same night in Jo’burg at our “special” hotel; that was a complete extreme.  Now being on the marina in Cape Town it’s just so different from the other parts of Africa we have been to so far.  It’s hard to imagine what Brian at the orphanage in Zambia (one of the best 11-year-old soccer players I’ve ever seen) is doing this evening; another unfortunate extreme.  It was nice to see the “bush” of Africa and now one of the more popular big cities to see the diversity the land offers on this amazing continent.

The apartment is about a 10-minute walk to the V&A Waterfront, we go there at least every other day for groceries or to see one of the daily street music performances . . . it’s also a good chance to say hi to the seals.  The new Cape Town Stadium is about a 10-minute walk from out apartment as well, this is where they played some of the World Cup Soccer games last year.  We are in a very beautiful area with huge boats/ships everywhere, seals sunbathing on docks, surfers on the beach, people walking all about; and it’s all nestled in between mountains and water ways.  Cape Town is a very sports driven, outdoors town.  Amy and I joke that we are now living the life in an area we always wanted to but never did as we were creating our life back home.

We found a local swim club that is allowing Kendal and Keegan to train with them.  Amy joined the health club as well so she goes to the club with them during the week while I’ve decided to just use the small gym at the marina since the weather is great for running.

Last Saturday there was a soccer game between the Ajax of Cape Town and the Kaizer Chiefs of Jo’burg (the countries favorite team), you would have thought it was the World Cup.  (Up in Jo’burg the Chiefs play in a stadium that holds 95,000 and they fill it).  The doors opened at 5pm and the game started at 8:15pm. We were wondering why they opened so early so we walked from our apartment at about 6:30pm thinking there might be some pre-game festivities for the kids.  When we got there the stadium was about a quarter filled, the music was blaring to hip-hop beats and people were dancing and singing at will. Many of them in team costumes. The stadium filled quickly, it was packed.  They love their soccer…over 36,000 people filled the stands; dancing, screaming and blowing on vuvuzela’s!  The home team, (underdogs) Ajax, held their turf with a 1-1 tie.

This week we will be begin taking some day trips to check out more of the great sites of the area.  A few days ago we got brave and rented a car for a few weeks.  It’s been an adventure driving a car with the steering wheel on the opposite side of the vehicle and at the same time driving on the opposite side of the road – in traffic!  Good thing we have a washer and dryer in the apartment because I’ve been sweating a lot when I drive – I’m serious!!  Even the round-abouts are clockwise.  I keep thinking, ‘it’ll get easier’ and it is, slowly.  I feel sorry for the left front tire, it’s taking the most damage at this point, the perception you’re used to from right to left is just off enough to cause alarm.  Keegan likes the manual roll-down windows in the back, calls it “old school cool”!  The first day Kendal got a good laugh because she saw me bang my face into the drivers’ window when I turned to the right to reverse out of a parking spot.

The thing that’s really nice is there’s no rush; on this portion of our journey we have time.  There’s so much to see just in this area and we are looking forward to exploring.

Cheers to right here and right now!

Outside the Cape Town Stadium before the game

Keegan and the Ajax mascot an hour before the action started.

The stands were full and the game was exciting

We drove up into District Six (history of this area is amazing and sad) and I took this quick shot from inside the car. That's Table Mountain!

The view from our apartment, we hope to spend more time on the patio as the weather gets nicer.

Our apartment is the one on the right.

Taking a walk to the V&A Waterfront Shopping Center, Table Mountain is obscured by the heavy clouds on the left.

Seals are there all the time.

Nobel Square at V&A Waterfront honoring the four South African Nobel Peace Prize winners; Albert Lithuli, Desmond Tutu, FW de Klerk and of course Nelson Mandela.