Thursday, 8 Feb. Toured the famous Casbah area of Algiers. The title quote, from the trailer of the movie Algiers, refers to this particular casbah. It’s had a rough 200 years, being partially razed by the French, then ignored by the Algerian government. Extremely run down. It’s a UNESCO site, but still in horrible condition. An “undercover” security agent, with his radio in hand, was our shadow. A lot of up and down, which didn’t help my sore leg any. A few shops, some family-level businesses (shoes, etc.), many (but not nearly enough) reconstruction projects. Cats and trash too. Several nice mosques.

Lunch was in one of the few occupied houses, with the typical center courtyard. Delicious soup, noodles with whole chicken, pastries.

I skipped the Cultural center to rest my leg. Many children. Drove to the cathedral, sitting high on a hill with a great view of the Med. A nautical theme.

Dinner was at a fast food outlet (close to the hotel). I ordered beef from the menu. No, they said, only chicken today. And probably tomorrow.

Our companion with the surgically repaired wrist will continue the trip.

Thursday, Mar 23. Wandered through the city’s very extensive Garden. Immense grounds. A guide was available, but I choose not to follow him. I’d have had to concentrate on what he said without looking at the plants.

The city tour was vaguely interesting, but it was not unlike most other cities. There was a nice museum on the top floor of the city hall, but access was limited. Odd policy. Bought flowers for later. Many statues. Lunch was outdoors in a park. Fish and chips.

Dinner was at a local’s home. She was a “coloured” person, but clearly uninterested in sharing her life’s experiences. She very skillfully deflected questions towards mundane topics. Highly intelligent. Her 94 year-old mother sat in silence. After dinner I showed the mother various photos. Everyone had a grand time, but I felt that I’d learned nothing about being a coloured person in SA.

Wednesday, Mar 22. Early morning flight to Cape Town from the little city of George, while our luggage was transported via our bus. We fly because the drive is through a boringly endless field of corn. (Our bags arrived 5 hours after we did.) 

In an itinerary change, we went straight to the Table Mountain Cableway. Because weather conditions often close the lift, Sowa thought we should grab the first chance we had. Cable car rotates as it climbs at an impressive speed. The ride is only a few minutes long, lifting us to over 1,000 meters above the ocean. Fantastic views. Quite a few birds. 

From the mountain we arrived at our excellent hotel, just blocks from the beach. Two room suites! Excessively luxurious, though for the first time the shower is in the bathtub, with a dangerously high rim. Beautiful pool.

I walked along the boardwalk. A gain, a glorious view. Had a pizza and soda for $6. Nice afternoon. Cape Town is considered the integrated location in SA, and I saw a lot of evidence to back it up. Refreshing.

Three of us booked dinner and a show at a landmark restaurant called The Gold. We might have had the best seats in the house. Face painting was offered to get into the mood. I declined. A set meal of 15 courses with origins from all over southern Africa. Some were good, some less so. The show was partially on a stage below us, while traveling performers did small bits near tables. They all used the open space immediately next to us. Great entertainment, though I can’t say how authentic it was.

Another busy but fun day.