More pics from Africa

I've browsed the rest of my pics from Africa and have strung together a quick travelog. Enjoy.

My lodging during the conference.

The conference location at the Shuttleworth Foundation.

There was a weaverbird building a nest in the garden.... so cool!

After the conference, I had two days to see as much of S Africa as possible. On the first day, I drove to the end of the Cape with two fabulous colleagues, Rich Baraniuk (Connexions) and Dave Rosenfeld (PIRGs) . We started by heading towards the Atlantic Coast and getting on a spectacular cliff-edge road around Hout Bay. The road, unfortunately, was closed due to a rockslide, but we could still drive up to the blockade and enjoy many of the views.

Views of Hout Bay.

My fellow travelers at Hout Bay. Dave , myself, Rich.

We then worked our way South towards Cape Point. The drive is spectacular: all cliffs, blue waters, and picturesque (if slightly overbuilt) towns that look like they could be part of the French Riviera. It was a glorious day, so it was also busy, but we were in no hurry. We decided to stop at one of the beaches on the way, and lo and behold, it turned out to be a penguin colony! Penguins, you say? Yes indeed. The Jackass Penguin is native to these parts and have several protected nesting sites along the coast. It brought memories of the Galapagos, not just because they were penguins, but also because they were quite unafraid. I wished Dahrius was there. And I loved the signs...

Penguins!!

Tee hee.

Onwards with the drive, with lots of stops to admire the awesome scenery. We eventually entered Cape Point National Park and worked our way to the lighthouse at Cape Point. There is a good climb at this point to actually get to the lighthouse, which we did in a hurry since we were starting to run out of daylight and feared we would be locked in to the Park. Interestingly, it turns out there are actually two points at the end of the Cape. The more spectacular point is called Cape Point, which has the lighthouses and is most popular. The other point is the Cape of Good Hope which is the final turn the sailors made as they enter the Atlantic Ocean proper. We ended up taking a risk and visited them both. It was a pretty awesome feeling to be standing on the tip of a continent. Admittedly, the true southernmost point of Africa is actually located some distance to the East, but this felt like the tip, and visitors that have visited both sites agree that this is the place where you really know you've reached the end...

Another gorgeous beach along False Bay.

The tip of the Cape! The only land beyond this is Antarctica.

The sign says it all.

Looking back towards Cape Town from Cape Point.

At the Cape of Good Hope.

Just when you might have gotten used to the idea that you could be in California, or Spain, along comes an ostrich. Totally cool!

We ended the day with a fabulous meal at an Indian restaurant in town. By the time I got everyone dropped off, it was quite late, so I didn't get a very early start the next day, my last in S Africa. I eventually got on the road and headed into the famous S African wine country. I decided to get farther in than Stellenbosch, which is where most folks go. I went to a stunning valley called Franschhoek. I had a nice outdoor lunch in a cafe and was just getting used to the idea that this could be somewhere in Provence when I ran into a band of Baboons, also completely unafraid, the first of several packs I saw that day. This place is crazy!

Views across the vineyards in Franschhoek.

In the town of Franschhoek.

Baboons!

I then returned to Cape Town, slowly, on a scenic drive, and spent what time I had at the beach in Simons Town, on the Eastern edge of False Bay. It was a bit kitschy, but otherwise a lovely way to soak up a bit of Cape Town before the long flights.

View from beach at Simons Bay.

It was a great trip, and the best part is that I think we really accomplished something important during the meeting. We are in the process of writing up a draft declaration for the Open Education movement now, and I look forward to seeing how that develops.

S Africa seems to me a country with a lot of promise, but also some really substantial problems that make our issues in the States seem positively quaint. The state of the "townships", the polite name for the shanty towns where most of the native Africans live, is truly abysmal. I met many wonderful people who were each helping, in their own way, to change things for the better, but the crush of immigrants means that they seem to keep losing ground. But S Africa is also a testing ground for the hopes of the southern continent... we should wish them all much luck.