The Old Biscuit Mill Market

Just down the road from Observatory, there is a Saturday market very similar to Madison's Farmer's Market near the capitol. I can't decide which one I like more though. The market in Madison mostly has food, juices, and snacks. Yet it is next to the state capitol building, which makes it remarkable. If you took away the location, I'm sure the Farmer's Market would be far less attractive.

I recently visited Cape Town's Old Biscuit Mill Market, which is set on the grounds of an old converted... biscuit mill, surprisingly enough. The goods that they have are far more varied than I was accustomed to. The essential produce, flowers, and popcorn were around. But beyond this there were stands of smoothies, quiches, cheeses, ostrich and lamb burgers, crepes, fancy beer, brats, dried South African meats (biltong and droewors), pastries, cupcakes, curry, and more. As a reminder, I love food and trying things, so I was getting more and more overwhelmed as I walked around and saw all my options. "I want everything!"

Seating space and vendors.

I'd eat it. I didn't though. :-(

The 'ol smoothie lady. That's just what we call her.

We had to decide on something though, so I put Anneli in charge. She chose for me a lamb burger with mild chili sauce, rocket lettuce, cucumber, and tsatsiki sauce (on a whole wheat bun, of course). It was delicious!

For my burger.

And yes, it was as good as it looks.

We also had one of the smoothies to top things off. After satisfying the urge to eat everything that I saw, we moved onto the other merchants. There was an art gallery, a bead store, a coffee micropress with loads of bean stockpiles, and an African themed store with shirts and crafts. I bought a shirt.

So many coffee beans!

The fact that this place is situated in a factory complex was really cool though, since all the different areas are more split up and intimate. There are businesses on the upper levels of the balconies, shops down below, and various sculptures and artwork decorating the walkways between buildings and shops. I preferred it being more separated and compartmentalized rather than a big open market in the street... especially since it allowed for permanent shops as well as tables from people that bring in their goods.

A fountain in the courtyard.

Anyway, the place was very neat and I wanted to share. I'm disappointed that I didn't know about it when Erik and Jana were here. If you come visit me though, I'll take you here. And for a much less exciting adventure than actually coming, visit their website. It's horrific, yet whimsical. Lastly, here are some more photos that I took:

An Antibiotic, a Probiotic, and Date Changes

Today, my countdown to Wisconsin was upped from 47 days to 55 days. My brother Erik recently landed an internship in Hamburg, Germany, so he and Jana will be moving there until August. Since I will be going through London in late June already, I've decided to spend a week with them while visiting Germany in the process. I've never been to Europe, and the convenience of adding another small flight to my itinerary was too good to pass up. After consulting with my brother, my travel agent, my boyfriend, my boss, and my sangoma, I've moved the flights!

I'll be getting home on July 1st.

This, however, presents a few logistical issues. First, my blog is called "Aukland in Africa." Can I blog about my trip home? I won't be in Africa. Also, does my adventure end when I leave Cape Town, or when I arrive in Chicago? Likewise, when should my countdown end? I've thought long and hard about these questions, and you can probably guess my decision since I have already changed my countdown. Despite the name of my blog, it is still intended to cover my time abroad, and Germany is still abroad. So you can expect some updates from the glorious land of beer and bratwurst. Well, that's Wisconsin, but I'll be sure to report on Germany also.

On a more personal note, I have had an earache for about six weeks now. I was ignoring it for quite a while, because it wasn't so bad. I'm sure that diving in Mozambique made it worse, but I thought it would go away. My right ear has now been hurting badly when I burp our hiccup, and is also more sensitive to pressure, to the point that I need to pop my ears and equalize the pressure just to get from upper campus to lower campus at UCT. Anyway, I went to the Student Wellness Center to have it looked at. The visit was free since I'm a student, and the nurse even prescribed me Amoxicillin, costing just over $1 for the five full days. Score!

My stomach has also been hurting lately, maybe I have some type of bug. For this, she recommended a probiotic. At first, I thought it would be counter-productive to be on an antibiotic and a probiotic, like putting a humidifier and a dehumidifier in the same room and just letting them battle it out, but I guess they will both help. Here's to feeling better.

Brought to you by Thebe Pharmaceuticals

It's weird being in a country where you aren't familiar with any of the medications. There are a few brands that are available from the US, but not many. For instance, I went into the pharmacy looking for Neosporin for a cut, and couldn't find it. After going to the pharmacist, the had no idea what I was talking about, and actually looked at me like I could be a terrorist. I threw words around like "ointment" "salve" and "antibacterial". Eventually a light turned on, and they grabbed me a tube of Bactroban. However, they needed my name, address, and phone number before it could be sold. I'm still not sure why. Pills are usually not coated, and I'm taking Compral and Paracetamol for headaches lately (they taste disgusting). I just love Advil, including the taste!

I was really happy with the medical care though, she was knowledgeable and I had no problems. Another study abroad student jammed her finger a few months ago, it was crooked, so she went to the doctor. His response was, "Not everybody is perfect, darling." She was appalled and went to another doctor, only to get a less than satisfactory solution this time. Another guy went to the doctor and was prescribed too many medications, ones that he would need to buy at their "in-house" pharmacy. This included some pills that would help his body handle all the others. Sounds a bit suspect to me. These are generally the private clinics though, the public hospitals and doctors here are phenomenal, I hear.

Unfortunately for me, my night dive was cancelled for the second week in a row. Very unfortunately. This might actually be a good thing for my ear, but it's a bad thing for my adventure-seeking and desire to get out of the house. Last week, the weather was too poor, and this week we didn't have enough people available because of classes. In its place, though, I've been promised a wreck dive this Sunday. Provided that it isn't cancelled, I'm excited see a shipwreck and to tell stories about it.

From my living room, wearing my British Airways blanket and having just finished watching Anoop and 'Lil get voted off of American Idol, I bid you adieu.

I'll leave you with an amusing series of photos of my friend Jamie from our trip to his house in Breede River, where we had a great weekend of debauchery. Highlights included amazing sunsets, traditional South African potjie (said poykie), the largest spider I've ever seen outside of a cage, and watching Jamie and Cartsen get sprayed with fire extinguishers. If you'd like to see an album of the photos, click on Jamie.

Jamie is silly. Click him to see our Breede River photos.

Crespella The Creperie

Mmm Mmm Mmmm! There is a well kept secret of the crepe variety here in Cape Town. I walk by it several times per week, and had attempted to visit twice already without success, but recently was able to grab breakfast at Crespella. It is just a small café here in Obz, and the whole place couldn't be more straightforward.

It is owned by an adorable old Bulgarian couple, and apparently they just have a passion for crepe-making. They serve a pretty varied selection of savory and sweet crepes (or rearry rearry fin pancakes, for those Talladega Nights fans). I counted over 30 different types on their menu.

The first one I got was the peanut butter, banana, and chocolate crepe. Delicious. Then I got the apple, cinnamon, and cream crepe. Delectable.

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Dark Chocolate.

Apple, Cinnamon, and Cream.

I don't know, I just particularly like this place because it is so simple. It is literally just one room with two tables, and the couple makes your crepe right in the room for you, and stores their ingredients in the fridge behind the counter. The man even warned me not to get crepes somewhere else, because they make them, freeze them, and microwave them in the secret back room that Crespella does not have. I was amused, and it felt almost like my great-grandma Nygaard was cooking for me. I went back the other day and got the special Thai Chicken Curry Crepe. That one was scrumptious.

As far as the hours go, they'll close up at four or five, whenever works, but he said he'll stay until 7:00 if enough people want his crepes. The prices are cheap too, since I got both of my servings for about $5.50 with tip. I wish we had more places like this is Madison. As many of you know, I love food, so this place deserved a post.

Making my second helping.

A Week With Family!

As you know, I spent last week with my older brother Erik and his wife Jana. It felt like we had a packed week of doing things, but we also took it easy. They were on the last leg of a Spring Break through Europe as well, and all three of us felt sick at some point of the week. It retrospect, we visited lots of restaurants, but they were all delicious and varied.

For a change of pace, I made a video slideshow to show what we did over this week of relaxation. Make sure you watch it in HD, since the photos will be much better. I also love the song!

Click here to watch in HD!
For those desiring the back story on the photos, here's a list of things we did:

• Started out at the V&A Waterfront with sightseeing and seafood.
• A tour of my house and neighborhood, Observatory, as well as a stop at a nearby restaurant. This was followed by pool at a local bar (the billiard balls are much smaller here, like Snooker balls).
• Dinner at Mama Africa! It is a popular restaurant on Long Street, downtown, featuring African cuisine and game. Our dishes included crocodile, ostrich, Springbok, and chicken curry. This was followed by hanging out with the live Marimba band.
• A visit to the Stellenbosch vineyards. We went back to some of the wine farms that I toured and posted about. We had an intimate tasting with the actual winemaker of Hoopenburg Wines. After a day of visiting, we had a Cuban dinner and walked around in the town of Stellenbosch.
• Cape Point. Erik and Jana went to the Cape of Good Hope while I was in class one day. They saw the baboons... fighting, being monkeys, doing how they do.
• Fork Restaurant. This was another unique restaurant, that served only small Tapas dishes. Some of the best food I've had since arriving though (and most expensive, unfortunately). We had fried goats cheese, kudu, prawns, ostrich fillet on spiced potatoes, fondue, yellow tail, among other things. Yumm! (Great mojitos, too)
• Surfing at Muizenberg. As I mentioned on Twitter, we were hoping for good weather and waves. Amazingly, both were delivered, and Erik and I hit some waves while Jana lived in the sun.
• Took the train to Kalk Bay. It is a unique ocean-side town further down the coast, with a beautiful view and a fishing industry. We had fish and chips at Kalkies, and then saw all the fresh fish laid out by some of the local fisherman. A very drunk guy, claiming to be the skipper of a boat) had large seals hanging out, while he threw them chunks of bloody fish and told them to do things for the tourists. I had no idea that seals here spoke Afrikaans. At Kalkies, I got the prawns... they were too graphic for me, all the pieces and body parts and such.
• Another night of dinner and Long Street. This time we enjoyed a large sushi dinner before meandering over to Long Street for another night at Mama Africa. The marimba band was so good before, we decided to just hang out at the bar and enjoy the music. Things got a little out of control when I had a few drinks and was invited up with the band to play. I was fearless at the time, and also thought I had the best rhythm in the world. Honestly, in my head, I thought I was on fire. After seeing the video, not so much. I would later be asked out by two prostitutes, and not knowing their profession and thinking they just wanted to party, started talking to them until Erik took me away. Too many cocktails. "They were just being nice!"
  
• Beach Bums! We spent a few hours the next day at Clifton Beach, one of the most beautiful and popping beaches in the area. It was gorgeous, except for the few leathery-skinned, old, bronze men that were sitting out naked with their damaged, bleached hair. Eeek, go inside and let your skin heal! I wanted to buy them aloe vera and a fire blanket.
  
• Addis in Cape. This traditional Ethiopian restaurant is similar to Buraka in Madison, but a bit more beefed up (as you could expect in Africa). We got a fixed menu, three course meal, trying lots of different entrees and a few appetizers. Dessert followed, with a coffee ceremony where they burned Frankincense.
• Hemisphere. We got dressed up and visited Hemisphere, a posh club on the 31st floor of the ABSA building, which towers over the center of downtown Cape Town. It was a bit odd, but a fun experience. I'm not sure how the strict "dress code" exempted the overweight lady in the red "Jeep" t-shirt with Crocs on. She must have been super-VIP.
  
• The township tour. You can't very well visit Cape Town without visiting a township to see the other side of life here. My friend Andrew brought us through Nyanga for a few hours, which was really nice. I might post more about it later. Highlights included visiting a huge braai, a community gardening project, drinking homemade beer, seeing a bed and breakfast, and lunch at Andrew's.

Enjoy the video!

Addis in Cape Ethiopian restaurant.

Care Packages!

I didn't think that in the year 2009, I would be far enough away that a package would take over three weeks to arrive, but it did. I've been anxiously awaiting gifts for quite a while now, and I was starting to worry that they'd never arrive.

First, I had absolutely no idea that Rachael was sending me anything. When it arrived last week, I though that my package from Lyndsey, Lucy, and Matt had come in good time (nope). It was such a great surprise, Rach! And the gifts... simply Steller!

I cheated and looked at the customs form before opening it. "Four food items", I was skeptical. What I found, though, I could not even prepare myself for. Rachael sent:

1. Corned Beef Hash. omg, I've been missing this so much. I just want Hormel in the morning.  I'm afraid to make it, because I'll go back to not having any.
   
2. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. They essentially have no American candy here, except Mentos and Skittles. I love Reese's so much. They were a bit melted, but I put them in the freezer to pop when it gets hot. My Flying Dutchman roommate, Mick, and our friend Siya, who is South African, both had their very first peanut butter cup. They loved 'em.
3. Hamburger Helper. Okay, even though it was generic brand, they don't have it here, and if you know me, you know I love beef stroganoff. She also sent Cheeseburger kind. Woah.

Rachael, I should say that I ate the Stroganoff the next day last week, when I was so sick. It probably wasn't all that healthy, but it made me feel immensely better, having the familiarity.

Okay, and today, finally, the package from Lyndsey, Lucy, and Matt arrived. The contents were awesome.

1. A stuffed animal, er, insect. They sent me a (handmade?) stuffed cockroach, which actually had a very neat story attached to it.  Its name is Tia, because when it got here it yelled "This is Africa!"  Hopefully now I'll be able to reconcile some of the hatred that I've developed toward the roaches in the house. (By the way, I haven't seen many in while, thankfully).
   
2. Hemp necklace and anklet. Thank you Lyndsey for remaking it. The lengths were perfect, and Kara helped me put them on.  I've got them on in the above picture.  We used the extra hemp strings and made bracelets for everyone in the house, for Arnold Street love.  Everyone has one now.
   
3. The Office episodes.  Three of the more recent episodes that I missed. Dope.
4. Other neat artifacts. Letters, music, inside jokes.

Anyway, just wanted to thank you guys very much! I leave you with a photo of my Dutch roommate, Goldmember, delving into his first peanut butter cup EVER!  He first remarked that there was something dry in the middle (peanut butter).  The joys of trying new things.

A Saturday Braai at Nyanga Township

Late last week, Andrew, and employee from our landlord's company invited us to his place for a braai. He posted a sign-up on the fridge for anyone interested at the various houses in the area that they manage. At $15 a person... the price seemed a bit steep. After thinking it through, though, we realized that it covered transportation there and back, all the food, and all the drinks. Only three of us decided to go... not sure what to expect. Kara and I figured it was definitely worth it to attend at least once, so her, Justin, and I went.

Definitely the best thing I've done since I arrived. It was at the Nyanga Township, a 20 minute drive from where we are. As we arrived, it was pretty obvious that most of the houses were shanties, with poorly pieced together metal, wood, and whatever else they had. It was pretty busy with people in the streets, different vendors set up along the roads. Despite being a van of white people rolling in there in a big converted Sprinter van, we got lots of waves and smiles. I felt very welcomed for the most part, as well as struck by some of what I saw.

When we got to Andrew's house, we were greeted by a woman named Ivy and lots of adorable children. She welcomed us in Xhosa, and introduced us to the house, township, and family. She said something like "Thank you for coming! We want you to have fun, be comfortable, and enjoy your time here. Feel free to look around, but don't leave this street without asking one of us to show you around. Food will be ready in a while, and later on you'll be treated to a Xhosa song from some of my students. Most of all, be comfortable! Let us know if you don't like something, and ask any questions you want!" So that was pretty neat. I don't want to give the wrong impression, though, this house was pretty well off. It had a big stereo, TV, laptop... a nice house. It was the only one of the block, though, with bars on the windows. So I was trying to get a sense of how well off people were. A lot of the children weren't wearing shoes, and the ground was pretty hazardous. Not sure if that was preference or not, though.

What ensued was over five hours of dancing, eating, and playing with the children. I got to know most of them, and even showed off my backwards legs as an icebreaker. They loved everyone's digital cameras, and borrowed them for like and hour to take pictures of everything. I deleted lots of odd photos, but kept lot of others.

The food was great (for Jacob). I've been to something like six or seven braais this week (omg South Africans love to braai), with varying degrees of delectability. Some were good, others were sketch, this one was bomb. There were carrots in a sort of African curry sauce, potatoes with a honey mustard sauce and what looked like sesame seeds, chicken, beef, salad, and pop. Pop is a cornmeal type thing, which is made almost like instant mashed potatoes, by stirring the mix into boiling water. Quite plain, but a good staple food.

Strong as hell.

By the time we left, the children were giving hugs and saying goodbye. One of the frustrating things about the last few days, which was expected, is that we've done so many things it has been difficult to focus on one. It's been a survey, of sorts, of many activities. Here I got to hang out for a long time and actually connect with people. Before I left, I talked to an old man named Joe who, to start with, reminded me that Bush and Blair have ruined the world. But then went on to say that although Obama isn't actually black, he thinks he'll do good things. Next month there will be an election in South Africa, and he'll be voting for the third time since the fall of apartheid. He said, "I've voted three times, and nothing has changed for me. The government gave me this shanty, where I live, and nothing has changed for me."

A South African friend that was over at our house, Siya, put it into perspective: People think that as soon as you defeat apartheid there will be quick results to end poverty and what happened during its oppression. The people of South Africa could have revolted in the 90's and forcibly removed people from their expensive homes, but they chose peace, and it has its price. The government can only do so much, and simply voting won't change things, as many expect.

It was interesting to see and hear. Despite the situation and conversations, though, it was awesome to bridge barriers and spend the day together. Joe finished with hugging me and welcoming me again to the township, and invited us back for another party. Here are some photos from the day:


Clicking on a photo will bring you to a larger version.