introduce you to my blogging and life 
34 degrees of latitude south. Very comfortable bottom tip of the African Continent. South of us, I was thinking today, is a maritime void that drops all the way to Antarctica. Ships rounding the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas probably do so in an affectionate fashion, keeping land in sight, wary of open seas. Nearby, they 
know, the mighty Atlantic and Indian Oceans collide.
And the skies over there, where no landmass remains, are surely empty too, exempt of air traffic; why would there be any? This is a space that leads nowhere, that just doesn’t fit on known lines from A to B.
South Africa, as I believe I’ve said it before, is a strange kaleidoscope. Where else can one drive for a few hours and see baboons, sharks, seals, penguins, dassies, sheep, horses, ostriches, antelopes, zebras, chameleons and two corgis? Summer weather is stunning, moody, Mediterranean. The ocean is all around us, ever-present. Life flows in a rather languorous southern way, rocked softly by the old rhythms of nature and the new controlling attempts of man. Wearing a watch down here no longer seems so critical, as there are no subways to catch nor tails to chase. If there is light and the air is mild and perfumed, it is morning. Once the heat picks up to the point of making shade a commodity worth trading, it’s mid-day. When sunset finally casts an orange glow on Table Mountain, it’s 8:00 PM. That simple.
Our lazy days are filled with sun and the chirping of many birds, and the caress of a southeaster that makes trees sing and keeps the sky ever-changing. Breakfast coffee is sipped in clear morning air looking up at the 
mountain, slow lunches enjoyed later in protective shade, and dinners served by candle light as stories are told of the day gone by, over platefuls of braaied boerewors and lamb chops, snoek pate, Woolworths custard, milk tarts, Malva pudding and the many delicious wines of the Western Cape.
Hints of a road trip are taking shape in our minds and being projected on maps. Echoes speak of the Great Karoo, a land of heat and flat nothingness, a return to lonely dirt roads and the solitude of the very first days. Beyond it, stuck between the Eastern Cape, the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, lies the isolated mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Very much like the worlds of Tolkien, South Africa’s scenery changes radically as one travels along and Lesotho could easily be the Kingdom of Mordor, evil notwithstanding. Its western wall is protected by the infamous Sani Pass, highest and steepest mountain pass on the continent at 2873 meters above sea level.
For now, here are glimpses of a hike around Silvermine. A’rvi pas.
« Your experience of South Africa (Cape Town) is a wonderful one, and your pictures are fabulous. However, even compared to the average white Capetonian, your experience is atypical. I assume your in laws are retired and quite well -off, living as they do in Constantia. There are plenty of people who wake to alarm clocks, work until late in the day, feel stressed out regarding economic things and politics, the future etc And of course you have made no mention of the people living in poverty, or somewhere in between.
Date of comment: 2010-01-31 20:35 •I too have experienced the wonderful feeling of perpetual vacation when visiting family in Cape Town that you are experiencing. However I know very well that it is just as unrepresentative of every day life as it would be to characterize any vacation as a slice of the norm. You are indeed very fortunate to be able to take such a wonderful extended visit to this beautuful land. »
« I agree 100%. My experience is completely atypical and I certainly never intended to imply otherwise. I am only exposed to the best of what South Africa has to offer and very much sheltered from the rest. However, this is indeed a vacation and we enjoy it as such, and a much deserved break before some greatly stressful times that will involve their share of alarm-clock mornings and what comes after.
Date of comment: 2010-02-01 04:07 •As far as the poverty goes, again, you are right too. I am preparing a later post on the matter, one which even then will only scratch the surface, but it is there, ever-present and overwhelming. South Africa might have managed to wake up from a long, terrible nightmare, but the reality that rushed in when the alarm-clock rang hasn’t managed so far to improve much on the bad dream... »
« Hi PJ
»
Date of comment: 2010-02-03 17:06 •I would add that Cape Town is special in the sense that even if you are waking up to an alarm, with the responsibility of work, the mountain in the middle is quite easily accessible. My working friends use it in the week as an escape.
Be comforted that when we are back in New York there will be no more holiday, no mountain, no birds, and no beaches. And rent to pay.
My father might want to add that no, he has not retired - he works fulltime, and is 77