Jamila’s Weblog

Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay, Wilderness and more… April 18, 2008

Below is a map of the cities along the Garden Route. Our destination on this trip was to Port Elizabeth. There isn’t too much going on there besides the Indian Ocean and shipping ports! The journey, nonetheless, was very exciting and peaceful.

Port Elizabeth…

Knysna…

Wilderness… Is a BEAUTIFUL Place. A quiet little town! I can’t wait to go back.

Road trip continued… April 14, 2008

South Africa is now home to the highest commercial bungy jump in the world. The Bloukrans Bridge is 216-meters (or apx 708 feet) high. I could not muster the courage to actually jump like my friends. I did, however, canopy across the bridge! Check out my video!

The Bloukrans Bridge ….and me.

Getting ready to go! ….so, it’s not the same as jumping…but it still was scary!

My canopy video

The next stop on our road trip along the garden route was the Addo Elephant National Park. Addo is a 247,000 acre game reserve that extends all the way to the coast. We chose to drive without a tour guide. It was a fantastic experience watching the magnificent animals along the road. The park is large enough for animals to roam freely and enjoy the natural vegetation. Among the animals that we spied were the black rhino, buffalo, zebra, kudu, elephant and the flightless dung beetle! A few times, we had to stop to let an ostrich or warthog cross the road! We even had an elephant walk past us on the road. You don’t realize how large an elephant is until he is 2 inches from your car! I felt like I was in the movie Jurassic Park!

Addo Elephant National Park….

More from the road….

Wildlife observed in the beauty of nature…

Another Road Trip… March 25, 2008

For the Easter holiday, two classmates and I decided to go on a road trip to Port Elizabeth. We took an alternative route (other than the N2 highway drive) to our destination. The sights from the car were fabulous. The mountains against the cloudless sky were breathtaking.

Our first stop on our way to Port Elizabeth was Oudtshroon, the city of the Ostrich. Ostriches have been domesticated in this area since the early1800s. There are approximately 400 farms in Oudtshroon. Leather from the ostrich remains the primary source of income. Secondary sources of income for the farms are eggs and feathers.

We had an opportunity to tour a farm in the area. We learned about various farming techniques, breeding and incubation habits. Ostrich eggs are huge, as seen below. An ostrich egg yoke is equivalent to over 24 chicken eggs. The taste is slightly different, but hard to describe. Male ostriches are black while the females are gray. Both the male and the female ostrich share in chick rearing duties. The male is the most aggressive of the birds. He typically serves as the protector for the little chicks. A kick from an ostrich charging can injure humans tremendously. Plus, the bird move quite quickly. Although size and speed makes for a very intimidating foe, the ostrich is a very tame-able and unintelligent creature. A hard shell skull does not protect their heads. It is possible to kill a bird with a mere hand know to the head. Not that I am advocating any cruelty to animals. If a bird were to charge aggressively covering its head with a tee shirt will calm its temper.

I had a chance to ride an ostrich. Yes, I rode an ostrich….! It was very scary to mount the animal. Farm hands catch a bird by placing a bag over the ostrich’s head. This calms the bird down significantly. You mount the bird from the side, grabbing a hold of its large wings and sitting behind the back hump. The farm hands take the bag off the head of the bird and it runs off like mad… Of course, I would too if someone jumped on my back.

Me and the birds….

ok, now here I am on the bird. I actually was too scared the first time I mounted the bird. But, after watching a few people go before me, I gathered my courage to ride!

Table Mountain at Night… March 25, 2008

The Frommer’s guide to South Africa says “Cape Town, the oldest city in southern Africa, is regularly heralded as one of the most beautiful on earth”. Indeed, I echo this sentiment.  The city is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and defined by the three prominent “hillscapes”; Table Mountain, Signal Hill and Lion’s Head. I have yet to hike Table Mountain, but plan to do so soon. I did, however, watch the sun set one evening. The combination of city lights against the endless sea, illuminated sky and majestic mountains forms a picturesque view that is awe-inspiring and almost hypnotizing. Below are just a few shots:

The Townships…… March 25, 2008

Townships are areas in South Africa where blacks and coloureds were forced to live during the Apartheid era. As mentioned before, these areas are outside of town and resemble shantytowns that developed during the US depression era. Although townships are positioned carefully outside typical tourist sites, the houses (shacks) along the highway from Cape Town International Airport reveal the reality of poverty that cripples a large part of the South African population.

My consulting course introduced me to a bed and breakfast located in the largest black township in Capetown; Khayalitsha (kai-yeah-leacha). A classmate and I decided to book a night at Kopanong owned by Thope Lekau. Although many consider the townships very dangerous for foreigners, I felt very comfortable and safe during my overnight stay. As I walked through Khayalitsha, I learned first hand how appearances and assumption are deceiving. From the surface, or the highway, one will pass a township and feel sorry for the people living in such a meager state. Our sympathy and focus on what is unjust and unfair, often blurs the faces of those directly affected. My overnight stay and walking tour in the township put a face on the statistics of the unemployed and HIV infected. The face developed for me in Khayalitsha is one of that resembles all of humanity, a face that longs for community and thrives on hope.

Below are some pictures of my trip..

Mama Thrope and Daughter in front of the B&B

Bedroom we stayed in…

Kopanong B&B…

Walking tour… parts of the neighborhood.

Typically Saturday evening, everyone is outside hanging out enjoying life. The older residents frequent the local pub below where homemade beer is shared from a bucket. I met the owner, a woman, who was happy to have us try her special brew. The beer was a bit grainy and strong for my tastes!

and then there the are young people… Some other local pubs were very different! Complete with louder music and energetic patrons games and dancing.

Khayalitsha is the largest township in Capetown. Below shows part of its size.

The walking tour sure did take a lot of energy!! We were all to happy to have a traditional home cooked meal. The contents included homemade bread, well seasoned chicken, Cauliflower , buttered beans, and sweat potatoes…. AND DESSERT!! YUM!

Gugulethu, Langa and Mitchell’s Plain are other townships in Cape Town. Mitchell’s Plain is traditionally a coloured township. Our driver took us on a drive through the town. The community is generally in better condition, structurally, than Khayalitsha. There are many wealthy people that have bought or are building lovely homes in this area. Although there are areas of great development, the residents are still affected by crime and other activities because of poverty.

Thriving businesses….

The township of Gugulethu is home to the very popular butcher/restaurant Mazoli’s. This hot spot is where patrons purchase various meats from the butchery, then have the meat seasoned and BBQ’d to taste! The meat is then served on trays. Mazoli’s basically sales meat, the beverages and additional food can be brought in from outside. This is a great hang out for tourists and locals. The meat is fabulous and everyone has a great time. On many occasions patrons will open the trunk of their cars and play music loudly for all to enjoy. There is lots of dancing, laughing and eating!! Mazoli’s successful restaurant in Gugulethu has allowed him to expand to 14 locations around South Africa.

Let’s catch up… March 25, 2008

Hello All, Clearly it has been a long time since I’ve updated my blog!! I certainly have been enjoying my adventure here. Let me bring you up to speed on some of my activities since Valentine’s Day:

About my school… February 20, 2008

Just briefly, there are approximately 30 students in the exchange program at the UCT Graduate School of Business. Some schools represented are Univ of Chicago, Univ of Chapel Hill, Duke, London Business School, Grenoble University and NYU.  Many of the students are leaving in mid march because they are on the quarter system.  We are all take three classes especially designed for exchanged students:

 1) Emerging Enterprise Consulting

2) Business Government and Society

3) Dept Consulting and Facilitation. 

 Because I am staying until the end of April, I am taking a course with the full time students called Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Valentine’s Day… February 20, 2008

Uh, we had a “little” party….I will spare you the crazy pictures, but do know that I was responsible for getting the charades game going!!

 our hosts…

my valentine treat! ( we all wrote secret messages…mine consistently say; roses are red, violets are blue, SA is hot, and so are you….)! 

Consulting Project: The Meet and Greet… February 20, 2008

One of the four classes I’m taking at UCT is called Emerging Enterprises Consulting.  Through partnership with a business development organization called The Business Place, we will work in small teams with a group of Black South African business owners.  

There are several constraints South Africa in the area of business innovation and entrepreneurship. Because South Africa is still new a democracy, the marketplace is dominated by big players which have lead to an abundance of anti competitive trading practices. Just recently, the major bread producers in the country were charged by the national trade monitoring group with price setting and collusion….ON BREAD, CAN YOU IMAGINE? Other constraints range from low penetration of technology to a very low risk tolerance from financing institutions. As a representative from the business place said in reference to these difficulties, “South Africa is a land rich in opportunity but they are hard to reach”.  I’ll speak in more depth on these points as I gain a better understanding on the economic development in the post apartheid era. 

 A meet and greet” of our various clients was arranged in Khayalitsha. Khayalitsha is one of many “townships”. During apartheid black South Africans were forced to live in these tight quartered areas or shanty towns.  The housing structure literally resembles shacks. There are tin roofs and very thin walls.  This particular township is about 20-30 drive from Cape Town downtown. Most of our clients reside here. As a matter of fact, a majority of black south African live quite far from the downtown/city area of cape town although they work there.  Many rely on car pools and minibuses/vans to take them across town.   

Our meet and greet was a lunch hosted at a bed and breakfast within the township. The business owner Thope Lekau, a Business Place client, started her B&B because she wanted tourist visiting her township to get a better feel for the community. In the pictures below you see Thope. She and some other local residents cooked some traditional South African dishes….dessert was fabulous.  Thope also talked to us about her story of education, career transition, and business development. She went from working in the area of civil rights advocacy to creating a business opportunity in the area of tourism. I plan to stay as a guest in her B&B for a weekend.  (Business name: Kopanong B&B).

 I’m so excited about my client who has a unique business in the area of outdoor advertising!  

Township..

The meet and greet….

Road Trip….! February 20, 2008

The first weekend of my arrival, many of the exchange students already planned a route trip down the picturesque Garden Route to Knysna. This is about a 5 hour drive from Cape Town.  It is a long drive; however, the scenery along the way is absolutely breath taking. (IMAGINE: California Highway 101 up coast drive). You drive up, through, and around several mountains so some very curvy roads. The views of the exposed limestone rocks, forests, and beaches keep you alert and curious of the landscape changes that are around the next corner.   After our lunch in Mossel Bay, we soon arrived at our cabin home for the weekend.  Our rustic cabins were nestled in the middle of the woods. Each cabin was quite cozy yet spacious enough to house 6 to 9 people comfortably.  We got in a little late first day, so we decided the best way to may the most of the day was to have a good old fashion BBQ…Yum! …And of course, no BBQ would be complete without games. All I’ll say to that point is that B School games do not vary across school… 

Knysna and the surrounding areas (George, Plettenberg Bay) are great places for the adventurer; forests trails to hike, hidden watering holes to swim, ostriches to ride (yes, you can ride an ostrich), and bunges to jump. This area is also a great place to relax, site see and hang out in the small towns. I opted for the latter. As a matter of fact, other then my trip to the Heads, I spent the entire day on the beach.  Unfortunately, I forget to charge my camera battery and don’t have much to show of it! (The heads is an area where the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet. The mix of waters produces a turbulent current that makes it difficult for ships to navigate.)  

our cabin…

…bbq          

The heads…