cape crusader

in our desperate quest to leave no corner of the earth undiscovered, we prepare to board a delta flight for dakar, senegal - with a final destination of cape town, south africa. in the departure lounge are a few senegalese - some in long dress (men), others in three piece suits. one of these businessmen kindly ask a the man in the purple robe if he can borrow his prayer mat; successful, he kneels down on the ground and recites the afternoon ritual. on the plane: young couples toting a couple of babies and toddlers (going to visit family); africans (going home); older couples (going on safari).

we settle in on the plane, snagging extra seats and unleashing our paraphernalia - snacks, headphones, books. i am relegated to eating kashi bars for the duration of the nineteen hour flight, as the kids pilfer our meals. we are in dakar in no time, and none of us have really slept - it’s only 11 pm new york time when we touch down (early morning in senegal of course), and there is a crew change. i’m slightly panicked thinking that none of us will catch any winks between then and cape town, a nine hour flight away. but amazingly enough, they keep all of the shades down in the cabin, and we all sleep - and sleep - and sleep! it’s great knowing that we’ll be caught up by the time we arrive in south africa.

and what an arrival it is! after journeying over oceans endlessly, the western coast of africa emerges across the blue atlantic ... there’s paternoster, and west coast national park; robben island, where nelson mandela was imprisoned, comes into focus, followed by greenpoint and ‘the mother city’. we begin a descent, and are treated to an up close and personal view of the iconic table mountain and lion’s head, both towering over the city. it’s a magnificent afternoon as we land, make our way efficiently through the ultramodern airport, to pick up our mercedes upgrade.

this is the only part of our entire journey that makes me nervous - driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road. particularly as jane and i both get into the car on the ‘wrong’ side - quickly realizing of course that i need to be on the right if i’m going to drive. the kids - hysterical and horrified -

but we roll along, easily in cape town, blaring ‘good hope’ radio and going against the outbound weekend traffic. magnificent! glorious sunshine, what a day! we’re all wide awake, and soon we’re parked in front of our home away from home, in the tony oranjezicht area of the city. incredible views of the surrounding mountain, and we are welcomed by klaus, the owner. our tiny carry-ons are whisked away, and we are ushered onto one of the many sun-soaked terraces, plied with crisp south african wine, tasty snacks, and fruit punch for the (delighted) kids!

we soak in the rays, the views; this ‘other’ africa so different than the rwanda i’ve grown to know, or from the souks of marrakech we visit a while back. no, this particular africa is all grown up - shimmery, modern, sleek, design oriented. klaus makes us feel at home, the rooms are huge and gorgeous and ultramodern ‘cool’ with all the mod cons. it’s amazing!

klaus tells us that our new friends, who live three doors up the road, have dropped by earlier with best wishes. when we are ushered to our room, we find flowers, champagne, and cookies. amazing! so sweet of them to welcome us this way. and how, pray tell, do we know them? we were seated next to this couple at our much beloved café gitane in nolita one sunday morning, struck up a conversation, and when we told them that we would be visiting their home town of cape town in a few months, they were delighted. and when they inquired as to where we’d be staying, they almost fell off their chairs - a lovely boutique hotel just three doors down from their own abode! coincidence or fate?

we hurriedly unpack, and realize that we can make an 8:30 dinner reservation at bizerca (downtown). run by a couple who have come to cape town, two young boys in tow, from australia, it’s another peon to design and haute cuisine. food is great, the kids lap it up, and even andi (our budding vegetarian) is wowed (by a piece of caramelized fish no less!). more wine, desserts, and coffee flowed, with a minimal tab, and off we went!

cape town has a nice vibe - laid back, relaxed - it’s all about the good life, the good weather, the good food. can’t wait to explore the rest in the morning!