Rich and Poor

We explored more of the Cape Town area with our local Cape Townian friends (Michael and his family) yesterday. We mentioned that we would like to see the non-touristy areas, so they drove us through the "townships", which are very poor neighborhoods. The crowded shacks are surrounded by food vendors, cooking a variety of meats over steaming grills in the hot sun. We learned that asking for a "smiley" from one of these vendors will get you an entire cooked sheep's head on a plate. Mike took a picture, but I think the smileys might be a little too far away to truly appreciate. Wish us luck with our meals for the next 42 days! Maybe I won't be such a picky eater when we return...

The people in the townships looked happy and busy, full of life. It reminded me a bit of Guatemala, where people lived with just the bare necessities but seemed full of joy. It's strange to witness the contrast here in Cape Town, multi-million dollar homes on one side of the road, and small shacks on the other side.

From the townships, Michael drove us to other coastal areas, including False Bay and Chapman's Bay. The Southern Right whales migrate along the coast and can sometimes be seen from shore, so we kept our eyes peeled. We also had to hold tightly to the rocks and railings to avoid being blown away by the oceanic winds!