Jan-Feb-2016_Final-1-4-16-attempt2

the Around the World issue

is usually grilled or stewed on the stove or in a three-legged cast iron stew pot called a potjie. We had bobotie, or boo kap, which is a Cape-Malay dish of diced beef or lamb spiced with cumin, coriander and cloves; morogo, a wild African spinach; springbock (antelope); and African braai (barbecue) of meats and boewars, which are coil-shaped African sausages. Dessert was typically a custardy melktert or malva pudding, a sweet and sticky baked sponge pudding. Pap and gravy were served at every meal. Pap or mieliepap or slap pap is made from white corn (90% of the corn grown in Africa is white, whereas 90% of world corn production is yellow). Pap is similar to grits but much thicker. Afrikaners eat it with chakalaka, a spicy vegetable relish or stew; with milk, butter and sugar; with meat (think grits and grillades); or topped with shiba, a tomato and onion gravy (think shrimp and grits). We were joined for dinner by our trackers and game rangers who shared stories of the Big 5 and safaris all over the world. Sabi Sands is a no- shoot reserve, and the rangers are true conservationists. David was born in Britain, Daniel in Zimbawe, and Derrick in the local village of Justica.

of the ugliest political aggression, including the Soweto Uprising in 1976, when police opened fire on 10,000 students. Mandela and his family lived in Soweto from 1946 to the 1990s (though Mandela was imprisoned part of the time). Their house on Vilakazi is now a museum. Vilakazi Street is said to be the only street in the world where two Nobel Laureates have lived — Mandela and Desmond Tutu. Each person on our trip had a connection to Bryan, Stacy, Anna and Leah. (Erika is Stacy’s best friend from college). Bryan’s friend from South Africa, Lisa Schneider, also had a connection to Mandela; her father was his private physician. Lisa’s family was in Nasrec (Soccer City) when the soon-to-be president made his first speech after his release from prison. Doctor and patient remained close friends until Mandela’s death in 2013. Capetown The last leg of our trip was in Capetown, which is very Dutch, very French. We spent a lot of time sightseeing. And eating. Leah, aka Snacks, is never far from food, and she always has a bag of something- or-other with her. South Africans eat dried meat the way we eat potato chips. There was a lot of biltong, a thinly sliced, air-dried meat, and droewors, which are air-dried sausages. Table Mountain has an incredible view of the city and the ocean — we took a cable car up. We took a boat out to Seal Island and a bus to see braying jackass penguins at Boulder’s Beach. That same bus took us down twisting, turning, winding, curving Chapman’s Peak Drive, one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world. I threw up when we got to Cape Point. The next day eight of us packed our bathing suits and drove to Kleinbaai harbor in Gansbaai. This is a prime spot to go Great White Shark diving. The boat took us to Shark Alley, about an hour offshore. We dove in custom- built shark cages — trust me, it was still scary. Three of our crew threw up, adding even more chum to the water, but I’d learned my lesson the day before, and had stocked up on Dramamine. On our last day, we drove to the heart of the Cape Winelands, about 45 minutes

photos by ErikaGoldring

On our final night, we were surprised with a performance by the Mabarhule Youth in Action Choir. They taught us a few songs . We taught them how to second line. Soweto We returned to Joburg for Leah’s bat mitzvah. Bryan and Stacy’s friends the Steins had us over for a traditional Shabbat dinner at their home in Joburg on Friday night. Saturday it was mazels all around. From Joburg we went to Soweto with a stop at the ApartheidMuseum on the way. South Africa began institutionalizing apartheid in 1950, and the township of Soweto, now an urban area of Joburg, was the scene of some

In the bush, it’s eat or be eaten. We ate. And drank. We started each day with coffee spiked with Amarula, a cream liqueur made from the South African marula fruit that tastes similar to Bailey’s Irish Cream (Rouses can order it for you). We ended it with South African wines and cocktails made by our bartender, Sphiwe Romeo Mkhwanazi. I should have asked him if was born Romeo or earned his nickname. Breakfast was full English fare, lunch made up of salads, hot meat and vegetable dishes and cheeses. Dinner was traditional South African food served by candlelight at tables set up under the stars. Meat in South Africa

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MY ROUSES EVERYDAY JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2016