Whenever i travel, so much observed and here are some observations on this trip to Cape Town.

Random observations that stay with me.

It starts with my flight beginning at OR Thambo...and shall continue through the duration of my stay in CT.

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Sitting at the Wimpy , having a light bite bfr departure, inadvertently i noticed the lady sitting by herself . She was at the table in front of me.
A little later, not having seen when her partner had joined, my attention was drawn to the activities at the ladies table.
I could just see past the back of her head, and a sullen faced man sat there.
He was busy with something that had the lady reacting.
It hit me. Her body language, her moves spoke of an eagerness to please him. It all seemed and looked , wrong.
This continued for a while...something in his bag on the floor had him unhappy and extremely busy. She tried to participate and the more she involved herself, the more sullen and gloomy became her partner.
It was obvious her attention was not welcome, but she persevered.
She tried to engage him in a conversation. His answer was grunts.
Not much later, her food arrived. He waved at the waitress to come back.
I promise you, if the food had been a minute in front of her, would have been too long.
He asked for the bill!!
The poor lady began to shuffle and grab at the cutlery and attack her plate.

He said, having stood up, " You not going to eat all of it, are you?"

His whole demeanor dismissive of her.

I nearly choked on my food.
She took her last mouthful and rushed to stand.

Fucker!

It was pretty obvious this union was in a bad way. He hurried off in front of her and she hurriedly scampered trying to keep up with him.

I got to see her face when she stood up.
The gaze that I caught was a tortured one with a brave smile.

I smiled back and I know she felt the pain i felt for her , the desire to wish her into a better situation.
I can only presume they were married, their wedding bands made me think that.
Mental abuse...she was a shamble. It was obvious in her shuffle, her posture defeated...and even more so in leaving a plate full of food behind simply because , all of a sudden , he wanted to go .

Guess what.

They were in the same plane as I. It took HUGE control not to do something stupid.

I kept my distance and silence and turned my back on further abusive behaviour he dealt and, she allowed.

When unions become so poisonous and, one becomes the "addict" and, the other the abuser.
My heart breaks.


RB.

Cape Town feels shoddy.
Is it the migration of toooooo many people changing the demographic and dynamic of CT? Migration to western Cape not only nationally but from across the borders too.
There is a shift. The rich are different to the rich of past ages. This rich feels like money made fast, name brands copied and past on as authentic. Loud and flashy. Abrasive. To me it tastes of bullshit .

As to the running of the city? Well. In my apartment there is a converter, a HUGE one at that, an eyesore...I am told electricity dips are frequent. I cannot confirm. And seems water shortage aint a strange phenomena either. The demand becoming more than the output required?

Cape Town with its God given natural beauty ....those in government understand the power of tourism. Thank goodness! And so keep the touristic destinations tip top. But even those are beginning to show the strain, nevermind the suburbs one is told to stay clear of. Crime no different to the rest of SA.
Last night I walked to my apartment. Little alleys upto high level rd.
The sun was setting. I didn't feel comfortable and I thought "WTF possessed me."
There were no homeless street people around . One of the little bends i had to pass, i found out was a favourite hang out for the homeless, was scattered with litter but, no people. It was already too late for them. Having to secure their little safe space under a bridge or bush.
I know better next time. To be a statistic due to crime of opportunity aint for me. Even in the so called "Mother City" where diversity is embraced at any cost.

RB.

I'm a born and bred capetonian. Been back in cape town now for 3 months after being in Pretoria for 7 years. Im already contemplating on going back. Cape town isnt nice anymore.

Hello Fris Frikkie.

For me , always, Durban over Cape Town.

I did live in CT some time back . The main street through Seapoint was known as the golden mile.
Restaurants galore. I am sure u remember?The old rich farts (sorry guys! GRIN) in their expensive cars with their trophy younglings sitting next to them, cruising up and down, just to be seen.
Night life wasn't just in the city, it filled nooks an crannies all over Greenpoint into seapoint. From the very gay bars to the ones so called supermodels hoped to hook their next sugar daddy....Hemingway, to name one.
Russian and Serbian syndicates establishing footholds in the city's burgeoning nightclub . While the Moroccans and Italians began to make their footprint too.
The V&A still in the making and what a hoopla with the establishing of Planet Hollywood.

It was clicky. It was pretentious BUT, it had a right to be.

It was Cape Town after all.
Classy.
Elegant .
Statuesque.

But. Going home to jhb every odd weekend was a most welcome pleasurable breakaway.

Cape Town has gone to the dogs and still has the audacity to pretend it something special.

Quite laughable actually.



RB.

Seapoint of those day was excellent. I have fond memories of Blue Rock for party and Cafe Erte for chill out. Those were the days.

Jip Frikkels - those days are long gone, and I doubt they will ever be again.
The CoCT is doing a great job of painting over the rot, but the rot is there, festering and boiling just under the surface and it is visible around every corner.
When is the last time you walked Long street or through the Company gardens - it is enough to make you cry.

One of the worst things to observe is first generation wealth. They just dont know how to act. Big difference when grown up in wealth and or when worked very hard to acquire it.

Hello Gentlemen .

The Mother City is definitely not what it used to be.
Not that any part of SA is.
All thanks to porous borders and a corrupt government pulling the wool over the majority of SA citizens eyes, instilling a defiant attitude, speckled with resentment...shifting the focus from progress and growth.

Then one comes across an untouched gem.

A row of semi-detached houses from an era gone by, slap bang in the middle of a busy side rd in Greenpoint .
"Modernised " with burglar bars and security gates.
I wondered how that property had not been swept up by the mogul realtors.
And even more my imagination ran away. Was it dark little rooms? A lamp always burning... casting shadows across a parkade floor and pressed ceilings.
Furniture from bygone days. Maroon being the prominent colour. Heavy draping of velvet.

Three semi-detached houses in a row and one , what looked like a standalone rectangular sort of home...running toward the back of the property .

I always wonder, those incarcerated on Robben island for years and years, looking inland and seeing the CT skyline changing...what did they think?
Did they understand the price of urbanisation and the hard work required to keep it functioning?
Did it make sense to them considering they were not part of fast paced urbanisation . That dream of equality for all. That fight for a democratic state.
Like Vrik said ..and i have to agree...if you have not worked hard for it, if it carries no value in your life, if there is no incentive for growth...and one can go on and on as to why a failed state...why the heck would one even care to maintain it .

And now back to the semi-detached houses.
On Thursday, luck would have it, a gentleman was unlocking one of the doors. And walking past him, typical my style, I had to get to know more about these little homes.
At first , he was a little hesitant and then he chatted more freely.

What i can tell you is this....

It is one living space. That gent had converted the inside where no parkade floors or pressed ceilings were visible. Where light streamed from strategically placed skylights.

Yes. The outside was from a bygone era while the inside presented everything western modernisation strived for.

It was beautiful but, it would have been more breathtaking if the old had been kept here and there....well, that is me.

A lot of those old buildings are gone .

Quite sad.


RB.

The cool cat outward facade of Capetonions and that air of arrogance and clickiness feels frazzled.

Very little of the up and coming yuppie young couples living in a bubble of pretentiousness, equally pretentious friends and family visible.

Even the tourists seem to be rude, pushier and of a different "class".
To witness a tourist spitting on the pavement as they walked along in a loud group, shoving whoever did not move out the way.

I nearly gagged at the spit on the pavement...and this time didn't contain myself. "Hey. Hey." I shouted, walking that little faster to catch up with the culprit .

I knew he wouldn't understand English but, I also knew he would know what I meant.
....Tapping him on the should.

The whole group turned around too, smiling at me.
My heart wss in my mouth. Not due to anxiety but, out of disgust and anger.

And so I beckoned to him to follow me stopping at the disgusting gob on the ground.

"You." Pointing at him..."this", pointing at the gob, extending him a tissue i took from my bag.

"Ooooooooo! Solly solly!" He said, took the tissue and cleaned his gob.
Yep he did. I promise he did. And the group like cackling chicken had a lot to say.

I fucking didn't care.

I knew he would throw the dirty tissue in the dustbin but, I couldn't give two shits and pointed at the dustbin and said
"Here. NOT throw on street" pointing to ground and shaking my head in the negative like a lunatic.
"Ja. Ja !" He said and rejoined the cackling group.

Fuckers.

When in another person's home treat it even with greater respect than your own...is my go to.

But. I am not surprised at the disrespect shown toward the Mother city...when locals don't give two shits about that which is theirs...

RB.