16 August - More of the ‘ Mother City'

I had a slow start today, wandering the the streets as the hustle bustle of the day started. People were setting up their stalls, the sandwich-board wearers were gathering on shaded street corners and chatting together and groups of uniformed 'city workers' were hanging around, nattering and checking phones. There are lots of these city workers on the streets here - and they are distinct from the police. Some are in green uniforms, some in blue and others in black but all sport the ubiquitous fluorescent yellow jacket. I think the 'greens' are city 'safety' people aimed at keeping beggars from hassling pedestrians (or more specifically tourists I expect) and the 'blues' might have something to do with parking enforcement but I’m not sure. However for the most part, whatever the colour and whatever the role, they seem to loiter rather than patrol.

After finding a small place for a leisurely breakfast I headed towards a nearby park at the end of which was a museum. For the first time since being here I had the unwanted attention of beggars (maybe because there were precious few 'greens' around the park) although in truth I had no more hassle than I might have had back home in Bath. The South Africa museum turned out to be the Natural History Museum of South Africa but I went In nonetheless. Apart from the usual selection of rocks and wildlife they had interesting and well presented displays on African rock art and the archeological discoveries from a group of sea caves somewhere on the Cape. As I left the dinosaur display I also came upon a display about ....Nelson Mandela. How the history of Nelson Mandela relates to African natural history I’m not sure but after the dinosaur display? That juxtaposition is asking for trouble....

I headed back to the hotel via the city Cathedral and collected my bags for the next part of my trip. I was heading 20 miles along the coast to the small town of Strand where a Camino friend lives and where I was to be hosted for the weekend. Because of the dearth of public transport here this necessitated booking a taxi and then, on its arrival, a discussion with the driver about how the price we had agreed on the phone wouldn’t be increased despite the various arguments he tried to make. Harmony restored, and after 45 minutes battling Friday afternoon traffic, I arrived at Berlize’s where we relaxed, caught up and made plans for the next two days before heading out to round off the day with 'sundowner' cocktails at a beachside bar - watching the sun sink into the African sea - and a dinner with friends.