Random Items from South Africa...

Sorry it's been so long since I have posted a blog but internet access in South Africa has either been painfully slow, expensive or both. We are now in Gaborone, Botswana where it seems to be a little better. Beyond that, there is nothing much to do in this little national capitol, so I'm gonna try to catch you up on our last week or so in South Africa...

Bob Has His Head in SKY.

SKY stands for Soweto Kliptown Youth, and is a foundation for the children of Kliptown, one of the poorest areas in Soweto, a very large town on the outskirts of Jo'Burg. Kliptown is the home to some 50,000 people, in a huge informal settlement that consists of ramshackle homes, porta-potties and shared wells for hundreds. As an orphaned child, Bob grew up on these very streets and wanted to make sure other kids didn't have to go through what he did, so he founded SKY...AT THE AGE OF 16! Today SKY feeds three squares to about 300 kids every single day. Beyond that, the organization has a daycare for working mothers, and is home to more than a dozen children who have nowhere else to go. He has taken some of the poorest children in South Africa to compete in soccer tournaments in Norway, and other points abroad...all for free! Bob is an amazingly inspiring man and I was truly blessed to spend some time with him, just chatting and learning about his philosophies on life. He even abandoned his, relatively, comfortable bedroom so that the kids who live at SKY have a refuge from their shared bedrooms, if they need a little space or added comfort. All of the money for SKY comes from private sources and grants which Bob seeks out. I met this guy and there is nothing shady about him. There is no channeling money for personal gain, or anything. He is just a sincere man with an enormous heart and genuine concern for the Kliptown kids. If you can, consider giving something to SKY and let Bob know what a wonderful thing his organization is doing...

Please Boss...

After Jo'Burg we went to Cape Town for four days. There we explored the city center, checked out a castle established in the late 17th century by the Dutch East India Company, visited the opulent waterfront and took a hike to the top of Lion's Head peak. Our visit there was fairly nice but, all in all, I wasn't a big fan of the city...or the country as a whole. While apartheid was abolished two decades ago, it still seems like most of the power, and wealth, is in the hands of the minority: those of European descent. Things have improved greatly, but there is still a mentality that whites are better, smarter and more privileged than those who have lived on this land for millennia. I was often called "boss" by black South Africans asking for a handout, and it made me cringe every time. Perhaps that is merely a term of respect here...but I think it harkens back to the days when former President Nelson Mandela was serving time on Robben Island and black school children were being forced to learn Afrikaans.

It's Freakin' Expensive Here!

For some reason I thought that stuff in Africa would be cheaper...especially places to stay. Well, that's certainly not the case. For the first two nights in Cape Town we shelled out somewhere around $43/night for a double room, or two bunk beds. We were on the rather trendy Long Street, but that is 4 times more than we spent in some touristy areas of Bolivia. Luckily, we did manage to find a place for nearly half the price for our final two days in Cape Town. And, while we had an en suite bathroom at that place the neighborhood was a bit sketchier and we really had to be back by nightfall. One night we ventured out for pizza a few blocks away and by the time we headed back --around 8:30pm-- people were already starting to eye one another with suspicion on the street.

We have also encountered expensive lodging in Kimberley, Mafikeng and now in Botswana. I think the main reason for this is the lack of an established backpacker network. Most of those who travel in Africa have some cash and yearn for luxury accommodations. In fact, I am beginning to think that backpacking in Western Europe would have been cheaper, simply because there is a network of hostels all throughout the continent. When you have a $70/day budget (for two people) and $45 is going towards lodging there isn't much money left for anything else, and that blows!

A little US History...in Cape Town...

The Confederate warship the CSS Alabama spent a short time in Cape Town during the US Civil War. The ship was built, in secret, by some Brits and handed over to Confederate troops. While the ship never docked in a Confederate Southern port, it terrorized Union vessels --primarily merchant ships-- around the world during the Civil War. In all, the ship was responsible for the destruction of 65 Union vessels, never harming crew or passengers of the enemy, but rather detaining them only until they could be dropped with a neutral party. During its South African expeditionary raid the ship stopped in Cape Town for provisions. As a result, the ship is a piece of South African lore, complete with an Afrikaan tune entitled, "Daar Kom die Alibama." The ship was destroyed by the USS Kearsarge, off of France, in 1864.

A Big Hole, Thousands of Lives Lost & One Mammoth Diamond Empire.

From Cape Town we took a bus to Kimberley, where we were dropped off (around 1am) in the tourist center parking lot, along with a handful of other travelers. Luckily, we had made prior arrangements with a guest house/hostel in town and the proprietor said we could give him a ring when we got in, and he'd come swoop us up. Unfortunately, the phone only accepted pre-paid cards, but a very nice man allowed us to use his celly. Our driver was there a few minutes later and we were off to la la land.

The impetus for our visit to Kimberley was to visit the, aptly named, Big Hole. The Big Hole is proported to be the largest hole, excavated by hand, in the world (although there is some controversy surrounding this as a historian, a few years back, made a claim that the title really belongs to another open pit diamond mine in South Africa. But, I digress...). Even more importantly this is the spot where Cecil Rhodes created the De Beers company, named after the family farm on which a diamond was found...leading to the coming frenzy which brought some 50,000 hopefuls to Kimberley.

Initially, the Big Hole was a number of separate claims, with each being pain-stakingly dug by individual people, and their help. But, through time this changed and two men competed for control of the entire mining operation...one of whom was Cecil Rhodes. Eventually, he bought out Barney Barnato and De Beers was started. Today the company only controls 40% of the diamond industry, although it used to have its paws on more than 90%. The diamond trade is a business which I am not too fond of, and this visit only solidified that. The rush for the diamonds at the Big Hole resulted in the loss of countless lives (estimated at between 20,000-30,000) all for a poultry 3 tons of diamonds. Is it really worth it?

(There is actually a rich diamond field in Arkansas but, because conditions for miners are so poor, it will never become a commercial operation. That being said, you can take your family there and go dig for your own treasure, for only a few bucks. Hillary Clinton's 4 carat rock on her wedding band came from that very field.)