Saturday, February 26, 2011

Epilogue

This blog would never have been written but for two special people - my son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Elisa. They had the kindness and generosity to give me a trip that meant so much more to me than a wonderful holiday.  They knew how much I wanted to share my childhood memories with them and Zoe, and they had the thoughtfulness and patience to let me do that. Thank you so much for being such caring and loving people. I am so thrilled you have a wonderful little girl to share your lives with, and to let her share mine.

Your Mum, Jane, Grammy

Zoe's African book

Friday, February 25, 2011

Cape Town and back to the USA

Maggie had driven in 2007 so I had enjoyed the magnificent view going down the Sir Lowry Pass. Now I was driving, and realised just what an amazing feat of roadmaking it had been.  As with all the roads we had encountered in South Africa, it was superb. It took us down a great height, with many turns and bends, all with an incredible view of the coastline and Somerset West. Elisa was great at figuring out where we were and eventually we found our street, Breda, and the B&B, "Mountain Manor". The backdrop to this area is Table Mountain hence the name of the B&B. It is a group of 3 houses, two side by side, and one further up the street, which serves as a backpackers' hostel. Our house was the B&B, the larger of the two. A typical Cape family house, it had been renovated to accommodate 13 bedrooms. There was a sunny breakfast room with small tables, nicely laid with pretty linens and a different china pattern on each table. A buffet held all the cold items - fruit salad, cereals, orange juice, yogurts, bread for toasting and coffee and tea things. A waitress came in for any orders of hot food. It was really just like being in an older home, so comfortable. Off the main reception room there was a "mini pub", a small room with a proper bar and a couple of little tables.  It had an honor system, you just wrote down what you had taken -drinks, snacks, and the total was added to your final bill. The porch was just outside the reception room, and we had supper there a couple of evenings, when trying to cool down. After a very stormy evening our first night, the temperature had shot up to 90 degrees for the rest of our stay, and the porch offered some breeze. Between the two houses was a small swimming pool with a little nook beside it. There, Zoe and I had a snack and enjoyed the evening air the night Dan and Elisa went up Table Mountain to watch the sunset.  The adjoining house is an 1851 Dutch house, with I think, 3 units for self-catering. It too had a porch and a second swimming pool which Dan and Elisa enjoyed a lot. I dangled my feet and ankles in the pool to cool off, (still no swimsuit). A European self-catering family (couldn't quite define their language, either Danish or Swedish, I think)  enjoyed the patio around the pool eating the supper they had barbecued at the table under the canopy.
After arriving the first night, we settled in, then walked around the corner to an Asian restaurant and had a light supper of noodles, vegetable tempura (don't forget, we had had a late tea of scones, jam and cream!)
Our rooms and beds were comfortable. I took the larger which had the crib, as I wanted to be with Zoe. There were two levels, the crib was on the upper level which led to the bathroom. Big wardrobe on that level as well as a dressing table with mirrors and a glass-toppped table and comfy high-backed chintz-covered chairs.  My bed was on the lower level, just a few steps. Large windows, which rattled somewhat that first night with the fierce winds.
The following day, the heat intensified, and there was no airconditioning , only ceiling fans, and it got pretty stifling. Zoe had trouble sleeping and I asked the staff for an extra fan. After a while they brought a large contraption which turned out to be a portable airconditioning unit. It had a plastic pipe, similar to those used by clothes dryers, which was attached to a piece of wood. The wood was inserted in the bottom of the window frame with the window resting on the top, allowing the hot air from the pipe to go outside. The cold air flowed through a vent in the machine.  It made a huge difference, and Zoe and I slept very well the rest of the time. This was one instance of how the staff were so helpful to us. They had been very welcoming and adored Zoe. One of the office staff was especially helpful with internet problems I was having on my netbook. Although the B&B had wireless, in South Africa it is most always charged for, and I had trouble getting it set up online. Late at night, she sorted it out for me and I was able to get online.

After a good first night's sleep we had a delicious light breakfast, although it was tempting to eat more, as we were to have brunch/lunch with my half-brother, John Hodson and his wife Jesicah. They came to lead us to the Blue Peter Hotel in  Blouberg, a beach community with a marvellous view of Table Mountain. It seems the Blue Peter is a much-loved institution for many generations of South Africans, and a great place to hang out, with a gorgeous beach and incredible views of the Atlantic Ocean, Table Mountain and Robben Island.

 
John and Jane

Dan, Jane and John with Table Mountain in the background.

The family
Dan, Elisa, Zoe, Jane, John and Jes

It was a momentous occasion getting together after all these years, we had not seen John and Jes since my other brother Cliff's wedding to Erin in South Carolina 6 years ago, and we had much to catch up family-wise. Sadly, their Mom and my stepmother, Joy Hodson, passed away last August. We missed her so much, how she would have loved being with us all in Capetown. She often came to the US to stay with Clifford and I saw her then, but it would have meant so much to be with her in the place where she and Dad had lived with the boys. Dad was killed in a car accident in 1971 on one of the mountains in Capetown, taking the family for a holiday on the farm of a relative of Joy. It devastated the family, the boys were between 9 and 13 years old. At the time of Dad's death, I was living in New York (yes, Flushing!) with my family - a toddler and a 3 month-old.  I had not seen Dad since I left South Africa as a teenager. I was deeply upset that he would never see his grandchildren.
 
Cliff, John and Charles after Joy's funeral.


The lunch at Blue Peter was good, but I couldn't concentrate on it much with all the talking and telling family stories. Dan and Elisa took turns taking Zoe to the beach across the road, she was very patient.  It became quite hot as the day wore on,  and finally we decided it was time to leave. John wanted to take me around the places they had lived with Dad and where the boys went to school, I was so thrilled he wanted to do that. It would have been too much riding around for Zoe, so she went with Dan and Elisa to visit the Kirstenbosch Gardens while John, Jes and I rode around the northern Capetown suburbs. Joy was living in Seapoint when she died, and that was where the family lived when Dad was alive. We drove around the streets, John pointing out the various houses they had lived in, and his school, where a course offered surfing. Very practical I thought, since across the road there is the best surfing imaginable. The little coast road gets clogged up all the time with traffic, and is basically a parking lot in the summer. It leaves plenty of time to watch the waves and the incredible views of the ocean and the mountains.  Clifton and Camps Bay were suburbs I recall on the way to Hout Bay where Dad and Joy had lived for a time. Hout Bay is a fishing port and the dolphin come right into the pier where we went to look around.


                Dolphin under a fishing boat at Hout Bay

There was a little arcade (the first little shopping centre in Capetown) where one could buy postcards and snacks, as well as some seaside-type shops. At one,  Jes bought some snoek, a fish I had not heard of, and is delicious. We had it several times in South Africa. On the way back to the B&B we stopped at Jes' father's apartment in Clifton to say hello. It was right on the cliff above the beach overlooking the ocean. I could have stayed there forever, listening to the waves and watching the sunset every night. However, it was getting on to evening, so we reluctantly left and John and Jes dropped me off at the B&B. A most marvellous day, to remember forever.
Hout Bay

                            At Jes' father's apartment, see the ocean reflected in the mirror behind us


The next day, Tuesday Jan. 4th, another fiercely hot day, we drove out to Groot Constantia in the southern suburbs behind Table Mountain. It's a beautiful drive past the Kirstenbosch Gardens and the University of Capetown to the estate, the oldest vineyard in Capetown, 1692.

The house at Groot Constancia
From the Dutch-style entrance gates a long tree-shaded driveway leads up to the house itself. Sadly the original house burnt down in  the 1920s, a fire started in the kitchen, and as there were strong winds, the fire got into the traditional thatched roof and everything was burnt. A philanthropist vowed to rebuild the house with as many of the original furnishings as he could find, and now it is a very interesting place to visit. Behind the house are the stables which house some examples of wagons and wine barrels. While Zoe and I enjoyed the the house and gardens, Dan and Elisa took the opportunity of going on a wine cellar tour. They found it fascinating and bought a couple of bottles of wine to take home. They have a much healthier respect for winemakers now!
The Vineyards

The trees along the driveway provided additional shade for the small umbrella-covered dining tables, so it was cool enough to have a light lunch outside the restaurant housed in part of the old buildings. I had an appetiser of snoek pate and toast, it was delicious. Reluctant as we were to leave the peace and quiet of  a drowsy afternoon in the beautiful surroundings, with the vineyards in the center of the valley, the mountains on the right and the sea in the background, we made our way back to the car, seeing on the way a baboon scarpering across the parking lot. Dan took a photo, but it was too far away to really see it.

We made our way around the southern suburbs to the Rhodes Memorial high above the University of Capetown. This was the last possible place for the lions to be and I held my breath as we drove up the windy road to the memorial. They were there! All 8 of them, 4 on each side of the steps leading to the monument to Cecil Rhodes.



At last I had found them and can go peacefully to the end of my days knowing where that photo of me was taken. Now all I have to do is find it!  Mum or Dad must have taken it on one of our holidays from Johannesburg, when we camped in the bush on our way down to Capetown, and now we have 

 

 darling Zoe following in her Grammy's steps. She will always know where her photo was taken! The first lion is obviously the favorite for photos, as it had been worn down with no doubt countless children sitting on it, but it was too hot for me to sit on, so I stood. Zoe's lion was in the shade so she got to sit.
Of course we had to have afternoon tea after all that exertion. There is  a nice tea garden behind the monument with a playground for Zoe, so we sat in the shade and enjoyed a scrumptious scone with jam and cream. In my quest to visit all the a) luxury hotels, b) Tea rooms, c) Quaint loos. We scored 2 out of three. The loo was the quaintest I had encountered so far in Africa.

The Rhodes Memorial loo

Wednesday, Jan. 5th . Just as we were finishing up breakfast at the B&B, Lynn Crowhurst and Pamela Graham Wolfe came to fetch me for a day of remembrance. Pamela had met Dan on a visit to the US some years ago, but Lynn had never met my family, so it was lovely for them to meet Elisa and Zoe as well. It was good too for Dan and Elisa to put faces to names of family that they have never met.
We are all family, in that Pamela and Lynn are cousins (both had Wolfe ancestors), and I tag along as a daughter of a former Mrs Wolfe, so perhaps I am a step-cousin. In any case, we are all interested in the Wolfe family in Capetown and that is why were were spending the day together.  
A bit of background of the Wolfe family. Originally an aristocratic Irish family, eventually a branch went to England and in the mid 1800s,  a Richard Wolf went to the Cape as an army veterinarian. He stayed and prospered and eventually there was a Wolfe street, still in existence today, and a lovely house "Forenaughts",  which remained in the family until well in to the 20th century.
We started off by driving to St. John's Parish cemetary where there are graves of the Wolfe and related families. This was a very sad part of the day for me, as in 2007 my beloved eldest brother, John Wolfe, died suddenly a month before I was to visit him and Betty in Capetown. It had been 44 years since I had been to South Africa and was so looking forward to being there with them to go to all the family places.  It was a very tearful journey instead of the excitement of a long-awaited trip. 
The cemetary is a small, hidden behind buildings that have grown it. It is old, some of the graves go back to the 1700s. It was to hot to spend much time there exploring. Lynn has done quite extensive research into the families and knows where the graves are.  
The two Wolfe graves are together, Richard Wolfe from the 1800s. Below his headstone and grave is that of Arthur Kilwarden Wolfe (known as McGregor). He was my mother's first husband, and father of John and Elizabeth.  John was cremated and his ashes were buried in McGregor's grave, after the funeral in Fish Hoek where he and Betty had lived for many years.  Although it was a dreadful day, I was thankful to be with there with the family to say goodbye. I miss him dreadfully, and am so grateful that I had him as my brother and that he always looked out for me.  A very precious part of my life has gone forever.

We went on to Plumstead cemetary, as Lynne knew of some Wolfe and Crowhurst graves. Pamela is a wonderful guide to drive around Capetown with, she knows everything. Between her and Lynn, we found the cemetary easily. Again, it was a fiercely hot day, and it is a large cemetary, so Lynn found someone in the office to help us locate the graves, rather than wandering around in the heat. Lynn had actually come pretty close to the lots. It is quite a well-kept cemetary. It was interesting to see pop bottles filled with plastic flowers. Mourners prepare them that way to put on graves, they don't lose their colour as  fast. 
We found a Crowhurst and Wolfe grave, McGregor's sisters (John's spinster aunts) Sheila and Nora are buried there, as well as some Crowhursts.


Pamela and Lynn at the Wolfe/Crowhurst grave in Plumstead cemetary.

It had been a hot and emotional morning. We were glad to accept Pamela's invitation to lunch at her granny flat in Claremont, a southern suburb not far away. She had been staying there for about 9 months while in South Africa. The converted garage was perfect for her - a cosy little sitting room and bedroom overlooking the garden  and a kitchen and shower bathroom. The main house was owned by friends of hers. Pamela had prepared a salad with gammon (ham) and Lynn had brought a Christmas pudding made by parishioners from her church. Each year they sell them as a fundraiser, and it was delicious. We couldn't help but have a little snooze after lunch! Although we certainly didn't need it, I wanted to treat us to afternoon tea at the Vineyard, a lovely hotel in Claremont. It was John and Betty's favourite hotel where they would stay for a few days after the long flight (around 19 hours airtime) whenever they returned after visiting their daughters in the US. It was a chance to celebrate being together and to remember happy times when Lynn and Pamela joined them at the hotel. It was also a nice way to celebrate Pamela's upcoming 89th birthday! The hotel had originally been built in the 1700s and forms the centre. It overlooks beautifully-landscaped lawns going down to the river, and there are winding paths all around the gardens. We enjoyed a leisurely walk around, getting some exercise after the pudding, admiring all the nooks and crannies,  with benches for sitting, while taking in the peace and quiet and the lovely scenery. 
I could see why John and Betty liked it so much, a perfect place to get away from it all. The afternoon tea was all it should have been, a 3 tier plate holder with little sandwiches, petite fours and of course scones, jam and cream. We sat on the patio, enjoying the fact that the slate paving stones had come from "Fornaughts" when it had been demolished. John had made arrangements for the hotel to have them and they are just right in that setting.





 I hope John was looking down at us 3 ladies enjoying
their afternoon tea!

It was a special ending to a memorable day, it was so good of Lynn and Pamela to have taken me around on such a hot day and helped me get a sense of my mother's life in Capetown. We drove back to the B&B where I said goodbye to Lynn and Pamela, who herself was to return to her home in France in mid-January. Unfortunately Dan and Elisa weren't around to say goodbye, it turned out they were with Zoe in one of the swimming pools.
I had promised them I would stay with Zoe in the evening so they could go up Table Mountain to watch the sunset and that's what they did and had a marvellous view. Zoe had  some supper, I was not at all hungry (I wonder why?) and enjoyed hanging round the pool where some children were swimming.  A
 bath and a few book settled her and with the airconditioner she soon was sound asleep. She had had a fun day visiting the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, and  the aquarium.






Thursday, Jan. 6th. Our last day. So sad in many ways.
This was my mother's birthday, and it was one of those coincidences that I had been to Wolfe gravesite the day before and thinking about her a lot.
 Packing up and loading the car, as usual,  took longer than we expected and it was mid-morning before we left the B&B. We had decided to take all our luggage and go straight to the airport at the end of the day.  It had a been a lovely stay, very quiet and relaxed, away from the hordes of holiday-makers at the beaches. I'm glad for them the weather was so good, I think it had been chilly and stormy before we arrived. Many of the holiday-makers come from the UK and Europe winter, so are glad of the heat and sunshine.
We decided to spend the rest of the day in the Cape Point Reserve, then drive around through Simon's Town and Fish Hoek so Dan and Elisa  could see where John and Betty lived. It was a glorious drive on a glorious day, I will never forget the color of the sea and sky from the Point. Although there were many warning signs about baboons and not to feed them,  we only saw a few. I think since it was mid-day, they were in the shade taking a nap. They can be very dangerous when looking for food, so I was relieved.
Cape Point is not exactly the tip of Africa. That honor by a few feet is Cape Agulhas - located about 200km to the east of (and south of) Cape Town. This is not only the southern most tip of South Africa, but also of the African continent. Cape Agulhas is also the meeting point of two ocean currents, the warm Indian Ocean current which travels down the east coast of Africa and the cold Benguela current which travels down the west coast of Africa. This gives rise to the frequent mist/ fog off of the coast. 
However, at Cape Point there's no getting away from the fact that you can stand looking out over the ocean and there's nothing between you and Uruguay, except for the tiny island of Tristan da Cunha. halfway.
There were quite a few visitors to the Point  but it was not overcrowded, and we took the funicular up to the top. There are further steps up to the lighthouse, but Zoe and I didn't make it up there.  





My last photo of Zoe on our trip

Time was apassing  far too quickly, and we had a long way back to the airport, but still many places to visit. The drive down to Simon's Town has the same glorious as from the point. We frantically looked for the Boulders and Penguin Sanctuary that Dan has specially wanted to see. When we did eventually find it, Dan and Elisa jumped out of the car (Zoe was asleep), and managed to see a few. We sped off to Fish Hoek where John and Betty had lived for many years, and saw the little tea room "The Windsor" that John and Betty had run so well. Sadly it was not at all the same, it  looked run down and seedy, so we went to The Chit-Chat Cafe, where family and friends gathered after John's funeral. It was a favourite of theirs and the owners remembered him and Betty when I told them who we were. I'm glad that we left Fish Hoek to our last day. It really was an ending and a goodbye.
After that, it was just pure anxiousness to get to the airport. Dan and Elisa were supposed to be there by 6pm for their 7pm flight to Johannesburg and then to Nairobi. We arrived at 6:25pm. All we had time for was to unload their luggage, car seat, stroller and check in. British Airways was marvellous. No problems. The worst part , saying goodbye, was over very quickly and they were gone. I could not fall apart as the car was parked illegally and I had to get it back to the rental office. Through my tears I crawled around the airport, not knowing the location. When I did find it, thank goodness the agent drove me back to  departures, unloaded my luggage and off I went to Virgin Atlantic. Not a good experience and do not recommend them. They would not check my luggage all the way through to Raleigh, so after an eleven and a half hour night flight in a very uncomfortable seat, I had to get my luggage, go through customs and immigration in London, and then turn around and check-in for Raleigh.  All in 3 hours. I was pooped, thankfully the American Airlines agent was helpful, and as the flight was only half full, I was able to get three seats, so could lie down and sleep for a good part of the eight-hour flight. Nineteen hours total flying time plus three hours in transit in London. A long day, a long way.



  









Sunday, February 6, 2011

Pretoria, South Africa

On December 29, we made an excursion to Pretoria. It was only about 40 minutes from the B&B along an excellent motorway. Although I had no recollection of Pretoria as such, I had memories of lion statues and being photographed sitting on one, and  was sure they were at the Union Buildings, and a must check-it out for me.
We went first to the new Freedom Park overlooking the city. http://www.freedompark.co.za/. It is beautifully designed to fit around the hill it is built on, one can hardly tell from a distance there is a large building. The 200 slim silver poles surrounding the site, represent reeds. All the walls are built with slates of different hues. Very labor intensive to construct. Steps wind around taking the visitor to different areas. We saw one component of the memorial, Sikumbuto, commemorating the conflicts that shaped South African history. Not all the areas are are complete, but enough is to see how this is going to be a place South Africans will want to take their children to learn about their heritage. There is a still body of water,Tiva, reflecting peace, tranquility and serenity. The Eternal Flame sits in a basin on the edge of a section of the building.




The Eternal Flame and reflecting pool,Tiva, with the amphitheatre
 In the far distance across the valley on another hill, is the Voortrekker Monument commemorating the Boers trek north from the Cape. From the Freedom Park we went into downtown Pretoria to the Union Buildings to check out the lion statues. There is a spectacular view of the city from the magnificient Union Buildings built on a hill and completed in 1913, but no lions! We walked all around in the heat, my photogenic mind was searching frantically for locations, but nothing came up. It was well worth the visit for the view and the buildings. I was disappointed but I had one more place to check out.
We cotinued on down into the city to visit the Paul Kruger House, President of the old ZAR ( Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek).  http://www.southafricaholiday.org.uk/places/m_g_krugerhousemuseum.htm.
The museum bears witness to the forceful personality of Kruger, who was the leader of a small Boer republic in Southern Africa that was engaged in a struggle against British Imperialism.  The house is a fascinating glimpse into European living in the late 1800's. Most of the objects and furniture are original to the house which makes it so interesting.  Much of it came from Europe to Lourenzo Marques (now Maputo) by boat, then brought overland by train. Kruger had the rail line built from Pretoria to Lorenzo Marques. There was no way the ZAR could get goods from the coast, as Britian had a blockade from Capetown up the East Coast.  This was one of the first houses in Pretoria to be electrified. Two offices, one for Kruger's private secretary, with one of the first telephones to be installed in Pretoria in 1891, the other used by Kruger himself. In the garden there is a large barn that houses a trek wagon, and Kruger's State Coach. Many objects that were given to Kruger as tokens of sympathy are displayed and showed the international support for the Boers' struggle for independance during the Anglo-Boer war, 1899-1902. Also in the garden is Kruger's State Railway Coach which he used on official visits and political campaigns. After the British won the war, Kruger went into exile in Europe.


We were ready for lunch after the visit, and went on to Church Square in the centre of town, where the market used to be. I was beginning to realise the difference between Pretoria and Johannesburg. Pretoria, although the Executive capital of South Africa (Capetown is the Legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is the Judicial capital), has still a small-town feel and with Afrikaans roots. Johannesburg is beautiful and brash, reminicent of the gold and diamond rushes. Lots of money to be made, attracting all types. 
We had lunch at the Cafe Riche, an establishment that originally opened in 1904. It reopened in 1994, and has an excellent reputation, and is very popular and well-loved, according to the postcards sent by clientele in far-away places. The food was excellent, nothing fancy, but well prepared and presented. I tried the dessert "Koeksisters" -dough deep-fried then soaked in a sugary liquid. Sherry or Grand Marniere would have added some flavor, it was rather bland.
After lunch we walked around the square which has imposing buildings surrounding the statue of Paul Kruger in the center. They include the Old Capitol Theatre, The tudor Chambers and the General Post Office, and the turreted Palace of Justice which was the scene of the most famous trial in political history in South Africa, the Rivonia Trial. During this trial Nelson Mandela and other prominent liberation figures were charged with treason and  subsequently incarcerated.  
Further along from the square were the Botanical Gardens where we stopped for a few minutes for Zoe to play in the playground. The park was designed in the early 1900s - beautiful lawns, ponds, plantings and a bandstand. On the farther side of the park is the Melrose House http://www.melrosehouse.co.za/ where in 1902 the treaty between the Boers accepting the peace conditions with loss of independence, and the British, was signed by a delegation of 10 Boers including Paul Kruger. 
Unfortunately, due to the holidays, the house was closed.  I was disappointed as the house, beside being of great historical significance, is a Victorian mish-mash of different styles - wide verandas for sitting in the afternoons, and of course, beautiful lawns and flower beds.
We tried to get into the Transvaal Museum, but were refused as they were getting ready to close. It had been a very hot day, so we drove back to Sandton for a swim and a cool down.
  


Monday, January 31, 2011

Johannesburg, South Africa

I was sorry to leave Nairobi, I felt so at home there and had such a good time with the family. Dan and Elisa made a lot of effort to show me around so I could see the country, and I loved it. However,  South Africa called. It is my birthplace, but there was a certain sadness of going back knowing so many of my family had passed on. I knew it would not be the same, but it was a good feeling that finally after years of regretting that I had not taken the boys to South Africa when they were younger, Dan was now coming with me and his family.
A final ride to the airport with a friend of Maina, who had a large van for all our luggage, and off we went to Johannesburg on Kenya Airways business class, courtesy of Elisa's frequent flier miles (there is a benefit to all those trips she makes. Hopefully easier now she is in Africa and not commuting from New York!) The flight was about 4 1/2 hours. It was very smooth and comfortable with great views of the Kariba Dam going over Zimbabwe. How I remember when a student in London, those wonderful summer holidays
I had in the Zambezi Valley with John and Betty, and John flying us in to the Kariba airport in the little Cessna 150.   On the Kenya flight, there was only one little thing that could have been better. More time to enjoy our meal. As we were the only people in business class, our flight attendant concentrated all her attention on us, and the meal was served very efficiently, with not much time to savour the actually pretty good food. As we went further south, the terrrain became greener. I learnt later that the Johannesburg area had had more rain than usual.
The airport is world-class, very impressive, spruced up I suppose,  for the World Cup. I could tell immediately that in the 44 years since I had been in South Africa, so much had changed. First of all it was no longer the Union of  South Africa that I grew up in, run by the British, now Africans were working in all sectors as equals.  The young African man that sold us the SIM cards for our phones was very knowledgeable, efficient and helpful, I hadn't a clue what to do about my phone.
We had arranged for a driver to meet us and take us to the B&B breakfast I had booked in Sandton. Frank became our driver on several trips, and he too was very interesting to talk to about many things. A great help to us as we were not the average tourist-type. He was very adept at getting all our luggage and us into a VW Passat.
Sandton was not an area I remembered from my schooldays. In fact, I am not sure it existed then. The whole area from Rosebank where I used to live, to Sandown where I went for my riding lessons, and is adjacent to Sandton, is now suburbs, where before it was way out in the countryside.  Sandton itself is a mini-city, built during the difficult 1980s when there was so much trouble in downtown Johannesburg. The Sandton Mall (as luxurious as any mall in the US), was built first to make shopping easier and safer for the suburbanites, then banks and businesses came out as well.
Frank was very patient with me, as I looked for familiar places which no longer existed. However, I remembered most of the locations and we drove around and found some of them. My earliest memory was of an hotel, the Balalika, where my parents and I would go for social events. There was a large thatched-roof rondavel which was used as a ballroom and dining room. I seem to remember a children's birthday party there. As South Africans spent a lot of time outside, there are always lovely lawns and playgrounds for children to run around in, while the grownups chat away. There were ponies for gentle rides at the Balalaika. A few years later, when I was with my father and his second wife Joy, we were living in a cottage on the Balalaika property with toddler Charles. It was there 50 years ago, during rest time after lunch, lying on the soft grassy lawn, listening to some heavenly music, I decided I wanted to be a musician. I have those memories of the Balalaika more in my head than the upscale modern hotel it has become in Sandton, surrounded by city streets and buildings.

Sandton Mall and Mandela Square




My old school, Redhill, was where I remembered it, although the road which we walked down from the main road was now paved, instead of being  gravel. Frank talked the security guard into letting us in through the main gate and we could see some of the older buildings with thatched roofs that I remembered. One had a particular memory for me. When I was a 7 year-old at the school (it was boarding), two of the older girls were planning to run away and asked me if I would like to join them. Although I was not at all unhappy at the school, I said yes, as I thought I would go visit my brother in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, a thousand miles away. So we carefully and secretly packed up our things, including toothbrushes, and somehow crept out of the grounds. As I mentioned, we were in the countryside (veldt), the road was gravelled and there were few houses on this very dark road. The girls decided to spend the night in the garden of a day-girl's home, down the road from the school (how far, I don't remember) and we settled in under a large tree. The day-girl must have heard noises,  as she came outside and found us, but assured us her parents were out and we would be OK in the garden. However, it wasn't long before the parents returned and were told we were taken back to school. I suffered the least punishment because of my age. The other girls were expelled from the school, but I was put into the headmistress's house and not allowed to go to my dormitory or classes for a week. I was given books to read and there were 2 kittens to play with. I was perfectly happy. My mother came to visit and brought me some sweets, but I was not allowed to have them.





When at school, or if I was at home nearby in Rosebank,  we were taken  to church on Sundays at St. Martin's in the Veld, and although it is in the suburbs now and has been renovated, (it seems bigger and missing the thatched roof), there still is the feeling of the old church.

Not far from St. Martin's it seemed, was my home on Bath Ave when I was a young child. It was on a small plot with a lawn in front and a driveway on the side. Although Bath Ave is still there, the  number of  the house, 52, does not exist, so I think it must have been re-numbered at some time. 54 Bath Ave is now a very elegant hotel, The Grace, but it is on the corner of Bath and Tyrwhitt Ave. I remembered that we would walk towards Tyrwhitt to go to Stuttafords for afternoon tea.  We walked away from Tyrwhitt Ave. along  a block which looked familiar, with small overgrown plots. The houses were either torn down or overgrown by trees and bushes. I like to think it was there somewhere, and hadn't been bulldozed away.  
Here are two photos of my third birthday there.


One place I remembered well was the Johannesburg Park. Frank drove Dan, Zoe and me out there on Dec. 28 (Elisa was tired and a cold was coming on). The park also houses the National Military Museum. As Dad was in the SAAF during WWII, I was interested in seeing it.
There are interesting exhibits, and a Spitfire and a couple of Messerschmidts which I suppose had been shot down. I was hoping to get a book or some information from the shop, but the owner or the shop assistant was very unhelpful, either talking on the phone or taking his dog out for a pee, so I gave up.

Johannesburg Zoo Lake


Mum and Jane(in Redhill uniform) on the lake in the Johannesburg Park




 

 









Going to the lake was much better and it was just as I had remembered it.
My brother John must have come up to visit us, and with Mum we went to the park and rowed in the lake. This is also where Mum met my friend Louise (about 3 years old) who had come to the park with her Grandmother and walked away, and Mum found her. Alice, Louise's grandmother, was visiting from England, so she and Mum had a lot in common and they became lifelong friends. The friendship continued with Louise's parents and Louise and I have become good friends. Louise was very good to Mum when Mum was living in sheltered accommodation in London and then in the nursing home in Blackwater. All that from a chance encounter in a park!
There was a lovely playground for Zoe, but no shade, and the kids couldn't play on the equipment as it was too hot.  It is the same in the US, designers build beautiful playgrounds which the children can't play in because the slides and swings are burning hot. 
We went to Moyos, an African-themed restaurant for lunch in the park overlooking the lake, and although it was delicious, it was mostly European food with a few African/exotic spices.

 
 
 Zoe had fallen asleep in Dan's arms during lunch, so we opted for a drive around the suburbs before returning to the B&B. Johannesburg is the best city in the world for greenery. Immaculate parks everywhere with pristine lawns that the public is allowed to walk on! Streets with canopies of jacaranda trees, even after all this time I still have a picture in my head of those gorgeous avenues, breath-taking in the purply-blue blossom time.
December 29, our last day in Johannesburg. We were packed up and checked out by 10:30 for Frank to pick us up. The B&B had been pleasant enough, with the lawn and pool, and having a guest kitchen/lounge, but the breakfasts were minimal - all cold, not scrambled eggs or other hot items we had in the other B&Bs we stayed in. It was also in deep suburbia and we felt far away from everything. Frank was able to get all our stuff packed away, but it was certainly tight.
We decided that Dan and Elisa would go to the Apartheid Museum http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/ and I would take Zoe to the amusement park next to it. However, when we got there, we discovered it was a theme park, like Busch Gardens and quite unsuitable for Zoe. We all went into the museum  and I saw most of it before taking Zoe out into the natural bush area and wetlands nearby. It was a lovely day, not too hot, there had been storms in Johannesburg in the night, cooling down the temperature. There was a cafe in the grounds and we all met up for a good lunch together. Dan and Elisa were very interested in the museum, it was of course a real eye-opener seeing and reading how apartheid had come into being, and is now thankfully gone by law. 
We left for the airport, said goodbye to Frank and checked in with no complications, in spite of all our luggage.
I had mixed feelings about leaving Johannesburg, the place where I have most of my early childhood memories. It has changed so much, and I have no family or friends left there, but I was still sorry to say goodbye.

Interestingly enough, we had to take a bus to the plane.  






































Friday, January 28, 2011

Christmas in Nairobi


Dan and I spent the morning of Christmas Eve shopping - first at a stall, (actually a blanket on the ground tended by an lovely older lady) who made beaded and other jewellery.  She had the nicest selection of all the stalls around and I bought several items for myself and to take home as gifts. She even made me a necklace to suit a top I wear, not too long and matching nicely. She also made Dan a necklace of black twine and beads. We then got Zoe's Christmas present, a tricycle. She had been  riding around the shop for days trying them out, but of course didn't know she was going to get one! We had lunch at the Java Cafe at the YaYa center, I had a delicious guacomole,cheese, tomato sandwich on a baguette. Their lemonade is also delicious, previously I had lemonade and ginger which was very strong, this time I had one with passion fruit, not quite as strong!
There wasn't a lot of evidence that Christmas was nigh, a few lights on hotel windows and some shops had decorations. There was a unique Christmas tree in Nairobi, perhaps used all over Africa. I wanted to get one for the apartment but Dan said no for this year as we were leaving the day after Christmas. It is made with some kind of tree trunk wrapped in banana leaves, the branches are also wrapped in banana leaves, and decorated with beaded and other ornaments.

Nairobi's unique Christmas trees

We really didn't have a lot to do, quite different from the Christmas Eve panic that manifests itself in Western countries, so before we returned to the apartment, we dropped in to the Nairobi Wildlife Park again, this time to go on the Safari Walk. It is basically an educational centre donated by the European Union so that African schoolchildren  can learn about the wildlife and protect them.

The animals are fenced off, but are in their natural habitat and just a few of each. There is a path that winds around the different areas and through a treed area, and makes for a good walk. We had started out just meandering, but then a guide seemed to attach himself to us, and was actually very helpful, telling us all about the park. We saw the rare white rhino, male and female lion, 2 albino zebras (very rare), and an ostrich, which we fed with leafy branches. We were let into the leopard area so we could see a leopard way up in the tree. We couldn't get a good photo as the leopard was so well camouflaged. The highlight of the walk was petting a cheetah. Our guide convinced the keepers to let us into the enclosure and pet them, which of course we did. The fur was not as soft as Wolfie's when I scratched him under chin (they are in the cat family after all!), and he was very patient with us, realising that his food was not us, but being held by a keeper. It was quite unbelievable, and so unexpected. We really lucked out with our guide. However, we had to say goodbye, having to get back to the apartment to get ready for the Christmas Eve service. 




Sign says "Warthogs and children have right of way"


Tea-time for ostrich



Keeper, where is my lunch?
Will I have to resort to white meat?

In the evening we went to the All Saints Anglican Cathedral for their Christmas Eve service of Lessons and Carols. We had been invited by the cellist in the string group I played with in the Mall (see Nairobi Dec. 11-26) whose brother is the organist there. The cathedral, a traditional Anglican stone building with a wooden ceiling and pews, was very full, and it was obviously well-loved and attended. The service was enhanced by the installation of flat-screen TVs attached to the support columns. It enabled us to hear well and see the readers at the lectern. The choir sang beautifully, and had two fine sopranos, one, the soloist in the traditional processional "Once in Royal David's City", and both in "O, Holy Night". The service was nearly 2 hours long, but I was glad to be there. It's good to have an Anglican church pretty much anywhere in the world, especially at Christmas time. Zoe was very patient, but able to come and go when necessary. There were other children to play with outside who found the service lengthy! Afterwards, I went to thank the organist, who is the head of the Nairobi Conservatory of Music, and we had a chat about Gillian's trip to Nairobi in July with her string students from St. Ignatius College in San Francisco.

At home after getting Zoe settled, we had lots to do, wrapping up  the presents ( mostly for Zoe). For a tree, we used a standing lampshade with leafy branches, and hung the ornaments I had brought from the States. Each of my grandhildren has their own Christmas tree at my house, and gets an ornament every year, so I brought Zoe's. In addition I had seen some lovely zebra ornaments at the Talisman craft shops, and bought a set for her and for Kate and James.

The Western Christmas tree by the pool

Christmas Day! Zoe is beginning to put it all together. At her school, they had a nativity play, and she was an angel (literally and figuratively). She learnt some carols, mainly jingle bells, but didn't quite realise the meaning of presents. However, she learnt quickly and had a great time opening them. It was so lovely to be altogether, although of course I missed Kate and James.
However, I had given them a Christmas party before I left, with games and stocking stuffers, so that was a good time for us all.  

The hotel we had booked for a Christmas lunch was north of the city, and on the way we stopped at the Memorial for the victims of the American Embassy which had occupied a corner block on a very busy street. The building was totally razed after the bombing in 1998 and the site is now a moving tribute to those who died, mainly Africans going about their business in the city. The garden has a fountain and a memorial wall surrounded by trees and benches. There is a small information center in the back. 
The American Embassy Memorial Wall

We drove on to the Windsor Hotel and Golf Club. It is the premier place for conferences and golf. Originally built in the 30s, it has 2 wings of Victorian style 3-storey accommodation. The central building has a dramatic staircase leading up from the foyer, and the main reception rooms. We had pre-lunch drinks in the clubhouse (cooler, it was so hot outside) before going to our table on the terrace. The large umbrella over the table shaded us from the burning sun. The heat is dry, so as long as one is in the shade and not moving around much, it is quite pleasant.
As a good Englishwoman I selected the roast turkey with all the trimmings, but there were many other dishes more suitable to the climate.  The Christmas pudding was  brought to me, as I hadn't seen it on the dessert table. It was two tiny mounds of pudding, which actually was very delicious, and a huge mound of what I thought was creme fraiche, but turned out to be solid Devonshire clotted cream. I saved some of it for the fruit salad I had later. A friend of Elisa who worked for the Swedish Embassy joined us for lunch and it was very enjoyable sitting there, which we did for quite some time. 






The Gingerbread House at the buffet.









The languid afternoon slipped by and we knew we had to get back to get ready for our flight to South Africa the next day. It had been a really enjoyable Christmas day with my family, out in such a beautiful spot,  lovely lunch and atmosphere. Bliss.
On our way back Maina, our driver, mentioned that the Masai Market was open in the city location (it moves around during the week to different locations). There had been many references to the Market, and I was eager to go. It was near closing time so wouldn't be a long stop. Zoe was asleep in the car, and Elisa stayed with her. Little did I know what Dan and I were getting into!
We were not prepared for the bombardment of the vendors when we walked in. I think that business had been very slow on Christmas Day, it was nearly closing time, and here were 2 unsuspecting tourists. They were like bees around a honeypot. I was not afraid, but overwhelmed by all the chattering, offerings and deals that were heaped on us, each one talking louder than the other. All our pleas to let us walk around to see what the vendors were selling fell on deaf ears, and we could hardly move. I clung on to Dan's arm, and finally said in a very firm voice that if they didn't leave us alone, we would leave immediately and not buy anything. I think they realised what I meant, and enough left so we were able to walk around a bit, with a few of them trailing behind. Dan was very good at negotiating, and we did purchase some lovely items, but as I told them, we would have bought a lot more if they had let us look around without being hassled. It makes for a good story.

A truly memorable Christmas Day, never to be forgotten.