An update from the field – Ahrash in S. Africa

OK, this is a lot of text, but if you want to read a travelogue, read on. You can also just look at the pics.

:)

I am in Cape Town, South Africa for a short conference on “Mapping the Open Education Domain.” It is being hosted by the Shuttleworth Foundation and the Open Society Institute, and leaders of the open education movement are flying in from around the world to participate. It’s a long way to come for a conference (along with a bunch of other meetings with people from the Foundation and others based here in S. Africa), but it has been an interesting time. Fortunately, I have had some times scattered on either side of the conference itself to try and explore the area little…

The connections here are sporadic and slow, so this post is a few days delayed.

I arrived early in the morning on Tuesday, and since I could not check into my hotel room until that afternoon, I had the day to wander. The hotel is on the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, which is the historical and still-active waterfront that gave rise to the city. Most of the waterfront has been converted to a sort of amalgam of giant malls and other random storefronts, interspersed with functional (and very active) dry docks, loading wharves, etc. A bit disorienting, but pretty nice as a model for proving that you can have a tourist development in an active industrial zone. I walked over there and spent the time taking in the views and trying to get oriented. Everything seems backwards, and everything IS in fact backwards! Very strange.

Where am I? A LONG way from home!

The waterfront, with cloud-enshrouded Table Mountain in the background.

I slept in the next morning and then took my time at breakfast (which was quite nice, with plenty of local fresh fruit and decent coffee) and afterwards, taking care of some business issues, and then figuring out what to do for the middle of the day before some afternoon commitments. I decided to see if I get a hike in, and I figured out that there are some trails out of the rear end of the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens that go up to the top of Table Mountain. I took the long way there, around the East side of Table Mountain, along an absolutely spectacular coastline, and to the town of Hout Bay, where I found a Woolworths stocked with good food for a picnic lunch.

On the drive around Table Mountain.

The scenery here is really superlative. Big fluffy clouds (and occasionally some rain, at least in the evenings) drift constantly over the mountains, giving some sense of their scale. The core of the city is actually located to one side of the metropolitan area as the population has expanded massively to the north, south, and east of the original city limits. The mountains are not oriented in any obvious manner (as is often the case with sedimentary massifs); between that and their massive size, it’s really hard to make sense of the layout in any regional fashion. In fact, though we are practically on the tip of Africa, the city itself (especially the harbor) faces mostly to the north, taking advantage of the bay that has given shelter to sailors in these parts for centuries. The sun, of course, is also to the North, which just adds to the confusion. At one viewpoint, I was looking at what I had assumed to be the Atlantic Ocean, but upon further reflection I realized that I was actually looking at the Indian Ocean (or at least the other side of the Cape… the actual “start” of the Indian Ocean is debatable)! To top it off, the city is laid out in classic northern European fashion, which is to say every which way and in no sensible fashion at all. I love that, actually (nothing worse than the uber-grid, Texas-style…yuck), but it definitely makes life more challenging for a visitor.

In any case, I managed to eventually work my way to the botanical gardens, which are absolutely incredible. They claim to be the first botanical gardens in the world that were established for the purpose of showcasing and preserving the native flora. It is the very end of the rainy season here, not quite Spring, so things were just starting to bloom and the scenery in general is quite green and lush. The whole feel is not unlike that of Northern California in early Spring… warm sun but cool, moist air. Very pleasant.

The entrance to the gardens.

A view from the lower gardens.

A natural spring and pool.
My lunch spot.

Native proteas... gorgeous!

I worked my way through the gardens, wishing I had more time to explore. I managed to spot a few of the native sunbirds, really colorful creatures that are the “hummingbird-equivalents” for Africa; they were abundant in the gardens, but you could hear them more often than see them. I also found a lovely lunch spot and managed a quick lunch before beginning the ascent up the mountain. The garden works its way up onto the flanks of Table Mountain, and eventually the path changed to rough steps and a rustic trail up into a defile called Nursery Ravine. The recent rains, coupled with the naturally wetter conditions of the rainy season, as all of the watercourses flowing quite heavily… waterfalls and seeps abounded, and I was accompanied by the sound of falling water throughout the hike.

On the trail up the mountain - more native flowers (unk.)

And more native flowers (unk.)

One of the first viewpoints.

The path worked its way up into dense Cape Beech forests, interspersed with lots of other familiar-looking but certainly exotic (to me) plants, such as tree ferns, yellowwoods, buckwheats, and lots of lilies. Mosses and lichens dripped from the rocks and trees, and the whole place felt much like the coastal forests in Oregon – thick with life and decay, primal.

A waterfall, one of many on the hike.

A sundew - a type of carnivorous plant.

As I worked my way up and up, I started to get some of the expected views above the city. I also spotted more organisms that specialize in living in the cooler, harsher habitats on the mountain, such as sundews (a type of carnivorous plant). I could hear a lot of frogs but figured I had no hope of actually seeing one (I didn’t). On up I went and suddenly I was on the plateau. The top of Table Mountain is laced with miles (oh, sorry, kilometers) of trails criss-crossing the plateau; I could only venture in a little ways before time pressures forced me to start heading back down. Clearly, I was going to have to return and explore more thoroughly at some point in the future.

Approaching the top of the plateau.

Some Calla Lilies growing wild out of a rock.

I worked my way along the edge of the escarpment, rewarded with spectacular views throughout. Eventually I worked my way over to Skeleton Gorge which as a trail back down to the Kirstenbosch Gardens. There was a sign at the top warning about the roughness of trail, especially in the wet season, but I find that such signs usually overstate the warning, so I went on down anyway.

On top of Table Mountain.

Little sundews in a bed of moss.

Another view from the top of the plateau.

A view of the trail down - Skeleton Gorge.

Well, in S. Africa they apparently don’t overstate such things! The trail plummeted straight into the gorge and eventually disappeared into the stream-course itself, which of course was full of rushing water. I decided there was nothing but to trek down the stream itself… It wasn’t too bad if I took my time, which of course I did not have, but I decided that caution was warranted here. After descending several hundred yards down the gully, a series of ladders appeared, suggesting that the path was just getting steeper! The ladders are plastered with signs indicating that the usage of the ladders is at the user’s own risk… fair enough, I figured. The ladders actually made quick and pleasant work of what would otherwise have been a pretty challenging descent, and I was able to rock-hop my way below the steepest part and onto the better-graded path below. Another 15 minutes had me back in the Gardens, where I could take in a retrospective view of my hike. It was all fantastic!

Starting down the gorge.

The path quickly descended into forest.

More waterfalls.

A view across the gorge.

The trail here IS the creek. I slowed down.

It's steep!

Back in the gardens, looking back at Table Mountain.

It’s amazing that such a supreme wilderness exists literally looming over this huge city. Ten minutes later I was back at the hotel, wondering at how long such a strong contrast of space could last in such close proximity. What a great thing for the people of Cape Town though!

After some work and a shower, I headed out to the main drag in the core of town, called Long Street, where I found a good Irish pub for dinner, accompanied by a broadcast of the rugby cup… what a crazy game! The cricket world championships are also being played at the moment, hosted right here in Cape Town. One of the people I met on the flight down here was flying all the way from London just to catch the games. 4 of the 6 channels I get in the hotel room are broadcasting either cricket or rugby, with the occasional break for soccer (Asian cup) or some sort of int’l track meet. The sports craze is universal, even if the sports aren’t!

I have otherwise been in meetings for the last few days, but I'll be doing some more exploring before I head home. Look for another post once I get back to CA.

-Ahrash