Last few days in the Cape
Trip Start
Jun 29, 2008
1
13
14
Trip End
Aug 31, 2008
Cape Town,
South Africa
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Meanwhile, I am also looking forward to see my family and friends back in France. And the last week was so windy and rainy that it was like the country's weather in itself wanted to exepl me from the country as soon as possible. So, while I am packaging all of my stuff in the always too few luggage at my disposal, Lulu, one of my colleague also decided to take me for an ultimate outing to the township of Khayelitsha, not as a tourist but really as a guest. This visit was actually aimed at meeting entrepreneurs that took the Micro-MBA course several years ago and implemented it successfully. So after a crazy train journey until Bellville, we took the taxi (you know, with all the people squeezed together into it, like in a sardin box), we eventually met her friend who was now running a fish'n'chips restaurant where she employs almost her entire family
Last view of the always very messy kitchen
. It is amazing to see how people are creative, especially in designing those shags of fortune. I have to say, some of they really contain ingenious installations. We even had the opportunity to taste the speciality of the house: Vetkoeks (fat cookies, but more like plain doughnuts) and Fish. The first were just amazingly tasty and the latter exquisite! I admire what that woman achieved and she was very simple and humble at the same time. Townships are not simply areas of desperate misery and poverty, they nurture true talents, potential and goodness that are unfortunately not always exploited or recognized. In that sense they have a special kind of wealth that may not necessarily be found even in the huge over-protected villas that pop up on the other side of the city, just in front of the sea. In that respect, I am very thankful to Lulu for having showed this to me (Cheers). Leaving my roommates was also difficult, especially Christina whith whom I shared my room and a lot of other things as well from the towels to the weird philosophical ideas (ouch). As I have to get rid of my Rands anyway because they are to weak to get any substantial amount of euros or dollars for them, I decided to be generous and pour them into the Scalabrini Centre, where they take care of the refugees coming from surrounding countries, especially Zimbabwe. I do not want to go, I can not wait to go. I do not know what I want
