Recommendations and Suggestions for places to go in
South Africa
By Daphne Muse
The Goddess of Travel
and Wanderlust must be embedded in my DNA, for I have had the most compelling
journeys. With one eerie exception
(Guyana in 1970), all my journeys have been quite remarkable. I have journeyed to remote villages in Europe,
gone deep in the bush in Tanzania and Suriname, languished on beaches in the
West Indies, driven 850 miles of Cuba with my dear friend Mary Louise Patterson,
and most recently spent a month in South Africa.
While I’m writing an extensive piece focusing on the
observations I made and conversations
had with amazing people I met during my month in South Africa, I wanted to
share these links to some of my most memorable places and experiences.
In 2009, I
did the grassroots tour of South Africa with Prexy Nesbit (Makingtheroad.com). There I met activists, grandmothers, museum
curators and artists. On this trip in January 2016, I joined my dear
friends and consummate travelers Mary Lou Patterson and Sumiko Takeda. We engaged with more people across the class
and color spectrum from former ANC activists who are now government officials to
“Born Frees” (post-apartheid children) and Afrikaners to members of the one
percent and Uber drivers. We stayed with friends Trevor and Thelma Fowler,
their adult daughters and a nine-year-old granddaughter. Their home is in the upper middle class
neighborhood of Observatory, near Houghton in Johannesburg. Trevor was Mandela’s chief of staff and now
serves as the manager for the City of Johannesburg. Thelma is an architect. They devoted so much of their personal time,
energy and extensive knowledge and history of their country. It made our trips so memorable for all the
right reasons.
In my travels, I’ve always made sure to go into
communities/villages, stay there if I can and get a real sense of how people’s
day to day lives unfold. It provides a
much more in depth view into the flow and psyche of a country. You also get a closer look at how the politics
and policies do or do not translate into people’s lives. I encourage you take public transportation or
hire Uber drivers to take you into various neighborhoods, for they really know
how life rolls where locals live.
Nature
Everything in nature really is linked and we are
doing the planet and our own species a tremendous disservice, as we contribute
to the ongoing slaughter and extinction of other species occurs.
The Cradle of Human Kind—Here I stood on the most
affirming and significant place, I’ve ever been on Earth. My spirit was grounded and soul squared with
my heart and mind. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/915
Along with seeing hundreds of animals from
elephants, Springboks and lions to hippos, rhinos and dung beetles (my
favorite), we saw a marvelous array of beautiful birds. The tenacious dung beetle can bury dung 250
times heavier than itself in one night. I highly recommend the night tours and
the magical carpet of the exquisitely adorned , night sky in the Southern
Hemisphere; now, that’s really some breathtaking dancing with the stars.
http://astronomyonline.org/Observation/ConstellationsSouthernHemi.asp
The Indian Ocean at False Bay—There I highly
recommend staying at the Blue on Blue B&B in St. James, a town that has an
old school Santa Monica, back in the day beatnik and hippie vibe. The B&B is owned by my former student
Dorothy Yumi Garcia and her husband Tom Harding-- http://www.blueonbluesa.com/
Table Mountain—I have yet to go to the top to
experience another manifestation of the true majesty nature, for on my first
trip it was socked in with fog and this time, it was too windy to ascend.
https://www.sanparks.org/parks/table_mountain/ The winds also prevented us from traveling
further to Cape Agulhas, the southern-most tip of Africa.
God’s Window—This
is another absolutely breathtaking testament to the power and beauty of our
planet.
http://www.southafrica.net/za/en/articles/entry/article-southafrica.net-gods-window
Museums
and Galleries
These galleries and museums feature the works of
some of South Africa’s renowned contemporary artists including Florine
Demosthene, Robert Pruitt, Ziyanda Majozi and Jonathan Freemantle.
Museum Africa--http://www.gauteng.net/attractions/entry/museum_africa/
Gallery Momo-- http://www.gallerymomo.com/
The Apartheid Museum-- http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/
The Mandela House -- http://www.mandelahouse.co.za/
The Slave Lodge http://www.iziko.org.za/museums/slave-lodge
The Orbit Jazz Club--http://www.theorbit.co.za/
Wineries
This is the wine route in Stellenbosch, (Cape Town http://www.wineroute.co.za/). I highly recommend Fair View Winery (http://www.fairview.co.za/),
especially their culinary Nirvana of a masterpiece: the cheese platter.
http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2011/10/black-owned-wineries-growing-trend-in-south-africa/
(Did not make it to this winery.)
(Did not make it to this winery.)
Neighborhoods
I encourage you to hire Uber drivers or friends to
take you into various neighborhoods, for they really know how life rolls where
the local people live and sometimes work. Some of the neighborhoods in which we
lived or visited included: Houghton,
Observatory, Yeoville, Melville, District Nine, St. James, Constantina & the
township of Soweto.
Soweto,
District Nine and Yeoville fascinated me the most. Soweto and District Nine have histories that
are integral to the antiapartheid movement and that history and its ongoing
impact are reflected in the museums, stories told and public policies graphically
reflected in people’s daily lives.
Yeoville is referred to as the Pan African, rainbow suburb of South
Africa and encompasses Bellevue, Bellevue East, Bellevue Central, Highlands and
Randview. It’s culturally diverse, has a
strong street life vibe and buzzes with young intellectuals and artists. Yeoville can be a bit dicey, for those not
accustomed to navigating off the beaten path.
The Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town where the houses are
painted in an array of vibrant colors--http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/travel/the-rainbow-nation-can-be-found-in-bo-kaap-area-of-cape-town
For those of you who wish to experience Archbishop Desmond
Tutu in his religious/spiritual milieu, he conducts a 7:00 AM Friday morning
service at http://sgcathedral.co.za/ in Cape Town.
First Thursdays in Cape Town—First-Thursdays.co.za
Shopping
We found exquisite items from jewelry to fabric and
truly iconic art to the art of fashion, which really rolls out marvelously in
South Africa. While I’m not a big fan of
malls, I found those we went to felt more like villages and included shops,
grocery stores, boutiques, cafes and cinemas.
Amatuli—A mother lode of amazing fabrics, furniture,
iconic sculptures, and jewelry in the design center of Joburg. http://www.amatuli.co.za/
Rosebank Mall—Shops galore, including the Johannesburg
rooftop flea market and great cafes.
Select Galleries in Graskop—http://www.graskop.co.za/art/
Great Second hand stores where I found great jewelry
and scored some literary treasures as well—http://www.jhblive.com/Stories-in-Johannesburg/article/best-vintage-stores-in-the-city/5196
Twenty-Seven Boxes
Mall--http://www.27boxes.co.za/the-27-boxes-experiance/
Mangwanani African Spa—Be prepared to traverse pot
hole filled dirt roads and a raging river up into the bush to a serene journey
of renewal, where each section of your body is massaged by a different masseuse--https://www.mangwanani.co.za/
Restaurants
The Duchess of Wiseacre—Cape Town
Harry’s Pancakes--Grasskop
Moyo Zoo Lake--Johannesburg
Tashas—throughout the country
Goats Do Roam at Fairview Winery—Stellenbosch (Cape
Town)
Beluga--Johannesburg
Publications
I read the local and regional dailies, along with
books and magazines while I travel. Found several treasures including Maru
byBessie Head and Song Makers by J G Goodacre and S. Makosana. I’ve also listed others below.
House
and Garden South Africa edition
Lowveld
Living—Lifestyle Magazine
Apartheid: A Collection of Writings on South African
Racism by South Africans—Alex LaGuma, Editor
Craftart in South Africa: Creative Intersections by Elbe Coetsee
Awesome South Africa-- http://www.awesomesouthafrica.co.za/
A Brand New Day by Nelson Mandela -- http://www.amazon.com/Nelson-Mandela-Bay-Brand-New/dp/0620380861
A Brand New Day by Nelson Mandela -- http://www.amazon.com/Nelson-Mandela-Bay-Brand-New/dp/0620380861
Izinyanya by p.naidoo-- http://www.literarytourism.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=393:phyllis-naidoo&catid=13:authors&Itemid=28
South African Coasts-- http://www.randomstruik.co.za/books/south-african-coasts/5652
Africa's Finest-- http://africasfinest.co.za/
Hidden Capetown-- http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Cape-Town-Paul-Duncan-ebook/dp/B00EPF5SIU
South African Coasts-- http://www.randomstruik.co.za/books/south-african-coasts/5652
Africa's Finest-- http://africasfinest.co.za/
Hidden Capetown-- http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Cape-Town-Paul-Duncan-ebook/dp/B00EPF5SIU
Halala Madiba: Nelson Mandela in Poetry edited
by Richard Bartlett
Maya Angelou’s
Still I Rise Art by Diego Rivera—Found this jewel at http://www.bookdealers.co.za/, a secondhand bookstore in the Melville
District of Joburg .
QUAGGA Rare Books & Art—www.quaggabooks.co.za
Daphne Muse is a writer, social commentator and poet
living in Oakland, California. She made
her first trip to Africa in 1971, where she learned how the leadership of Mwalimu
Julius Nyerere moved the country from the clutches of colonialism to an
independent nation that now has a woman vice president.
msmusewriter@gmail.com,
daphnemuse.blogspot.com
