Monday, Mar 20. This was supposed to be a national walkout day, but the results weren’t deserving of capitalization. The protest was intended to motivate the government to Get Things Done. Power and water shortages are rampant.

Our morning began with an overview from a university professor about the dire situation in SA. She didn’t really tell me anything I hadn’t already learned and seen. She did not end on any high note. “Revolutionaries do not make competent administrators.” Duh. If you’re thinking of visiting SA, do it now. The Way only leads downward.

Next, on a happier note, we visited a penguin hospital/orphanage. They’re doing great work protecting the seabirds. Watched feeding time. Anyone who doesn’t find penguins cute doesn’t have a heart. At my suggestion, the group paid the adoption fee for one orphan in Sowa’s (our trip leader’s) name.  She’s blind.

We stopped at a lighthouse on the Indian Ocean’s shore. Beautiful day, great views.

We then began a drive to our next destination: Knysna. Beautiful scenery along the way, sometimes getting a peakat the ocean. Some very high bridges crossing deep canyons. One, a popular suicide bridge, had high fencing as a deterrent. A very late lunch was at a tiny village that’s popular for ziplines, ATVs, etc. Had delicious pizza.

We arrived in Knysna in time for a short walk around the gift shops, where prices were about double what they were in Johannesburg. Clearly I should have done more buying earlier. Food prices were still insanely low. We had a group dinner at a great restaurant, BUT, it was there that I realized that the only black people were servers and Sowa. My appetite decreased. This is clearly a vacation destination for whites. Sobering realization. 

SA has a thing for spicy. It’s become a keynote of the food. Particularly for pasta dishes.