The Iziko South African Museum was established in 1825 by Lord Charles Somerset and later reconstituted under a Board of Trustees in 1855. The museum is the country's second oldest scientific institute, established five years after the Royal Observatory (est. 1820).
The Iziko South African Museum has a vast collection of natural history and anthropological objects documenting all forms of life, living and extinct, from southern Africa, and a material cultural heritage of indigenous peoples dating back to their earliest origins. The museum also has a planetarium. The Museum is visited annually by about 400,000 people, and is one of Cape Town's major tourist attractions.
Hidden by the towering buildings of the Cape Town city center, the Company’s Garden was a welcoming break from the busy city life. It is known as the “Green heart” of the city and stands as the oldest public park of the country.
Our first stop was Desmond Tutu’s church. Desmond Tutu is an activist who gained world recognition for his opposition towards apartheid. He is the second South African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and was the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town. These are a few photos of his church. In the West, Tutu is placed in the same category as Mandela, but in Cape Town he makes frequent airings on the evening news.
Outside of the church
Inside of the church looking up
Back of the inside of the church
Inside front of the church; instead of benches they have individual wooden chairs
We spent the next few hours roaming the grounds of the Company’s Garden. There were magnolias, bamboo, bird of paradise, and more. Here is a quick tour:
People here are very happy
Somewhere in the Company Garden
Birds of Paradise plants
bamboo forest....or is it a baboon forest?
The search for the pink-assed baboon begins
This looks like prime pink-assed baboon habitat
Duck with ducklings, but no pink-assed baboons
I stopped to ask this squirrel harassing people for food if he had seen any pink-assed baboons. He said to ask the squirrel up the way.
"You just missed them man, the pink-assed baboons were just here. They're heading for the museum."
...tune in later for our trip to the museum and our continuing search for the ever elusive pink-assed baboon.
FYI, a public bathroom does not mean it is free. In the city, the stalls were free to enter, but it will cost you 2 Rand for a few sheet of toilet papers. The same trend applies to shops (you will have to be a customer i.e., buy something) and shopping malls (coin operated) when using someone else's restroom.
We walked down to Cavendish Square the other day to find few hard to get items. While there we saw a McDonalds and remembered duckey0712’s inquiry: “Just wondering if the Big Mac really tastes like a Big Mac over there. You may have to sample the local McDonalds and let us know how if fairs.” So we decided to do just that.
McDonalds menu in Cape Town
Our McSampler: 1 Big Mac, 1 Quarter Pounder w/Cheese, 1 fry, and 1 Coke.
First the Big Mac, while the packaging of the burger was dead on (two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun), the flavor missed the target. The biggest problem was the not-so special sauce. It seemed to be a really vinegary Thousand Island dressing. There was also the lack of that certain flavor and smell one instantly associates with a Big Mac. For this taste tester’s taste buds, the US Big Mac beats the SA Big Mac hands down.
Official American taste tester representative preparing to sample the Big Mac
The Quarter Pounder w/Cheese also missed the mark when it came to the flavor aspect. Much like the Big Mac, the burger was missing that special something that lets you know you are eating a McDonalds hamburger. Could it be that they do not use “all beef patties” in SA?
Official taste tester assistant preparing to sample the Quarter Pounder w/Cheese and fries
The fries, such a disappointment. The trademark McDonald fry just didn’t have what it takes. It had the right texture and crispiness, but was lacking in the flavor department as well. It seemed as though they had either fried the fries in peanut oil or had not changed out the frying oil for some time. Either way, the taste was just not up to par.
Finally, the Coke. Again, the flavor was way off and there was little to no carbonation. It is possible that they needed to replace the CO2, but even more carbonation would not have helped with the flavor. It tasted like they used aspartame or some other artificial sweetener. I wondered if they had given us a diet Coke by mistake. Also, no ice. I wonder if ice is just a US thing. Any insights from worldly readers would be helpful (The Netherlands for instance).
So, in summary, if you are traveling to Cape Town, South Africa and are having a Big Mac Attack save your Rand and eat elsewhere. Besides, why are you eating at a McDonalds in a foreign country anyways? Find a more local flavor to sample and get out of your comfort zone. We definitely were not “Lovin’ it.”
TripAdvisor.com describes mini-taxis as being “notoriously unroadworth (little or no brakes, worn out steering, no lights, etc) and the drivers have absolutely no regard for the rules of the road.” But what do they know. We decided to hale a mini-taxi to go to the city center for a day anyways. (No worries, we screened the vehicle by selecting ones with nice seats, which, of course, translates to good brakes and lights). The trip was 7.00 Rand each way per person (a little less than a dollar). That’s ONE dollar people for a 30 min. taxi ride. Who says the dollar is depreciating? Let’s continue this little tangent regarding the value of a dollar. What can you get for $235.00 a month or $7.50 a day in the U.S.A? In South Africa, that is a FULL TIME nanny or housekeeper! Someone to make your bed, sweep your floors and have dinner made and ready when you get home (keep in mind that labor is cheap here, but not food. A loaf of bread is still 3 bucks). We might just move here.
Minibuses lined up to pickup passengers
Though a Rand is more affordable than a dollar, we were determined not to be a victim of tourist price inflation. We decided to venture our trip light: jeans, t-shirts, backpack, and ball cap. No purse, scarf, or ipod. Standing in front of a BP, we flagged down a mini bus. It slowed down and I walked over to the driver’s side, “How much to City Station?” The driver waved us inside. “How much?”, I repeated. The driver gave me an answer, accompanied with a hard shake of his head back and forth in annoyance. We, anxiously, crawled into the vehicle and the taxi took off. I used the backing of a seat to shield myself as I carefully counted out 12.00 Rand in coins.
Cape Town City Centre - station is at middle right of photo
The faire was paid and we whispered back and forth until we arrived at the city station. The mini-taxi pulled into a busy station, filled with mini vans lined bumper to bumper. We were the last two to get out of the vehicle. The driver turned and faced us. His hand waving in the air, he asked “Where are you guys going?” Who? Us? You mean the two tourists who are trying not to standout? What gave us away? Was it because I have blue eyes and she has brown eyes? Or was it our hair? In any case, we told him the “Flower Shop” and he directed us to go straight and cross a steel bridge. From there we should ask for further directions. After surveying the route per his instructions, I realized that he was directing us to go directly through a shanty town (picture a cluster of small tin roof shacks lined side-by-side accompanied with “sketchy” men leaning against wooden booths). Reluctantly we began our trek towards the bridge. A pungent aroma…more of a foul odor, drowned us as we walked deeper into the tin roof neighborhood. It was a concoction of urine meets car exhaust, an invigorating smell. Welcome to the City Center!
Hold onto your backpack, camera, wallet, purse, and woman
After making it to the city, we spent the first hour having hot coco (made with real chocolate for 6.00 Rand) with Anh’s friend from undergrad, Amanda. She gave us quick instructions on how to get home, where to explore, and how to bargain shop. We gave her 4 boxes of Mac & Cheese (with real cheese not the powder) and 2 lbs of Twizlers candy. I have never seen someone so excited over Mac & Cheese and Twizlers. She squeeled with delight (like Alex on Trivia night), jumped up from her chair, ran around the table, and gave me a hug. I never knew it was so easy to make a woman who has “everything” so happy. Throughout the rest of the get together, she clutched the bag of items to her chest like a pink-assed baboon clinging to a banana. Then she was off to rehearsal for a Don Giovanni performance (opera), which we will go see on Saturday.
The cafe where we had our hot coco with Amanda
The shopping district seemed endless. It was not the conventional American mall district where a fixed price was set to every item. Instead, we played tug-a-war with the merchant on the prices of bracelets, necklaces, and random carvings. What to get for friends and family? A few more trips to town will be necessary to gather enough of the African experience to share with everyone at home.
One of the many street shops downtown (always begin bargaining at least 30% below asking price)
What have we here? An agate stone bracelet and a wooden bead bracelet
While shopping we got a sample of some Cape Town tunes we thought we would share with you:
Imagine listening to these songs while browsing through the aisles of beadworks, carvings, and crafts.
It’s been nearly five days without a drop of Dr. Pepper and we’re starting to get cranky. Tomorrow, Tuesday, will be a struggle. Usually, trivia night is our Dr. Pepper OD-ing night and with free refills, it can get up to three glasses a night. We are suffering from high-fructose corn syrup withdrawals. Even the Coke here uses real sugar (tastes better too). Speaking of sugar, our host gave us a bag of “American brownies,” (refer to photo below). They were hard, crummy, and tasted very much like chocolate cookies. Poor South Africans never had a real brownie.
7.5 Rand = ~1 USD
American taste tester representative: 6/10 score
To help burn off the excess sugar intake, we decided to map out Anh’s daily walk to UCT on foot. Man, the “walk” was a workout. It takes 10 mins. to walk to the town center (a breeze) and then another 15 mins. walking completely uphill to the top of the campus. The view from the top is worth the climb! Walking to and from UCT each day is as good as any aerobic workout.
Rondebasch downown - first 10 min of walk on the flats
Next 15 min of walking up the hill - photo does not due justice to the true steepness of the slope
Upper Campus of UCT with Table Mtn in background
Upper Campus UCT
Not quite sure what they are trying to sell here; any ideas?
I'm calling NBC's legal team
When we said we were looking forward to a “change,” we were referring to new foods and sightseeing, not eating healthier and exercising more. Maybe we can drop a few pounds by the end of the trip. Below is a quick tour of the local shopping center. In The States, we call it a “mall.”
To answer a readers emailed question: razor wire and electrical fences are used to protect the precious bananas from the destructive colonies of indigenous pink-assed baboons. *wink*
Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun :)
Smok'em if ya gott'em
Don't be fooled by the setting. Behind those doors are lions, tigers, and rhinos.
Oh my?
Per reader’s request: Yes, we have a physical TV in our flat, but that is about it. There is one "functioning" channel and no remote control. The program airing on this channel is often in Afrikaans so we basically have 0.5 channel. Once in awhile, we will pick up what the host is watching on his satellite (usually, a rugby game).
Outside of the church
Back of the inside of the church
Somewhere in the Company Garden
bamboo forest....or is it a baboon forest?
The search for the pink-assed baboon begins 
I stopped to ask this squirrel harassing people for food if he had seen any pink-assed baboons. He said to ask the squirrel up the way.
Hold onto your backpack, camera, wallet, purse, and woman
One of the many street shops downtown (always begin bargaining at least 30% below asking price)
What have we here? An agate stone bracelet and a wooden bead bracelet 
7.5 Rand = ~1 USD 
American taste tester representative: 6/10 score
Rondebasch downown - first 10 min of walk on the flats
Upper Campus UCT
Not quite sure what they are trying to sell here; any ideas?
I'm calling NBC's legal team
To answer a readers emailed question: razor wire and electrical fences are used to protect the precious bananas from the destructive colonies of indigenous pink-assed baboons. *wink*
Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun :)
Smok'em if ya gott'em
Don't be fooled by the setting. Behind those doors are lions, tigers, and rhinos. 
Oh my?