Passage to Cape Town December 4, 2009 Issue 2
Cape Town Coat of Arms
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Trivia Question The springbok is a major symbol of South Africa. The country’s national airline had a springbok as part of its logo, as did the nation’s Air Force. The springbok was part of the national Coat of Arms, and many national sports teams were known as the Springboks. Most uses of the springbok faded into the country’s controversial past, however, consent was given to the South African National Rugby team to continue being known as the Springboks. What is a springbok?
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History of South Africa—Europeans Arrive! Thanks to Sekhar Ganti, the winner of last issue’s trivia question, we know Portuguese navigator Bartholomeu Dias was the first European to discover the Cape of Good Hope in 1487. Dias initially named the area The Cape of Storms. A moniker that proved well earned when Dias and four of his ships were lost in a fierce storm off the cape in 1500. After Vasco da Gama, another Portuguese explorer, established the trade route around the cape with India in 1497, the Dutch first settled in what is now South Africa. The Dutch East India Company first established a settlement in 1652 at the Cape of Good Hope to support trade ships traveling from Western Europe to India. On the long journey, many sailors were dying and the settlement at the cape was established as an interim stop-over where ships could re-supply with the fruits and vegetables to prevent scurvy. Dutchman Jan van Reibeeck led the first settlement and enjoyed unfettered access to the land of the cape.
Many of the local nomadic farmers rejected the Dutch authority and simply moved inland to avoid conflict. By the late 18th century, Cape Town was a busy port where passing vessels could trade goods and get supplies for the rest of their journey.
Dutch East India Company Seal
some odd reason, introduced cricket to the local population in its southern African colony. It was not always a civil co-existence with the indigenous population. While the nomadic farmers encountered by the Dutch had moved further inland, the British had a more difficult time. The Xhosa were a local population and wound up being a formidable opponent that vigorously resisted European incursions into their territory. Skirmishes between the Xhosa and the British continued until 1852 when the Xhosa were decimated by the British firepower, starvation and disease.
In the next issue After France overThe Zulu Kingdom, diamonds, threw the Dutch monarchy and the Gold Rush - South 1795, the British saw the African style. French as a threat to their lucrative trade route with India and immediately sent troops to southern Africa to occupy the cape. Ultimately the British would have a significant impact on the culture of South Africa. They abolished the slave trade in 1807, guaranteed freedom of religion and speech, and for
Top 100 things to do on a 22 hour flight—the first 10 100. Watch an entire season of 24 99. Get a blood clot in your leg (walk every 2 hours if you want to skip this one) 98. Refine your stand up comedy routine on a captive audience 97. Knit a sweater 96. Play Charades
95. Make a cross word puzzle . . . Book 94. Write an award winning screenplay about your life 93. Lean Afrikaans swear words 92. Write complaint letters to companies 91. Watch 2 seasons of The Wire More to come in future issues.
Page 2
Passage to Cape Town
Fine Dining Around Cape Town Alfred Waterfront with Table Mountain in the background
Tentative Itinerary April 29, 2010
Mzoli's is a butcher shop in Gugulethu, just outside Cape Town, that doubles as a restaurant. However, the dining experience is more like eating at a farmer's market. There's no combo meal here. Mzoli's provides the meat. The local business community provides the rest. At Mzoli's butcher shop, you select your pound or pounds of meat and marinade. Then you take your large bowl of raw meat to the back of the
shop where you hand it over to the grill masters. But wait... You're missing something. Drinks? Bread? All can be found at the nearby spaza shops, which are informal convenience stores typically run from a house. Now that you've gotten your meal together, find a seat and enjoy the braai.
Depart Richmond 10:00 am Depart Washington-Dulles Airport 5:40 pm
May 3 Start of Business Site Visits
South Africa Quick Facts–The Wildlife South Africa is known for its wildlife and for having 8 sites on the World Heritage List. South Africa is well known for their memorable large mammals, especially the Big Five (elephants, lions, cape buffalo, rhinoceros, and leopards). The big five are far from the only large mammals that inhabit the South African landscape. In fact, there are a total of 299 species of mammals and 858 species of birds. The majority of the animals live in the high inland plateau of the inner country, but many also live in the mountainous region as well as the low lying coastal areas. Not all the wildlife is in South Africa however. Some of it surrounds the cape as well. Many of the marine animals can be seen in the tame environment of the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. More than 3000 different species, all of which are in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans surrounding South Africa, can be seen at this world class aquarium.
The Two Oceans Aquarium
The Big Five
For the more adventurous, you could visit the Shark Lady and get a much closer look. On the electronic version of the newsletter, check out the links to the right to sample some of the wildlife.
The Shark Lady