Sunday, Sept. 2

        Today was a down day. We were up until midnight last night after the show, doing my blog and editing photos, so we slept in.
We only ventured to the grocery store to get something for supper tonight, watched the WNBA game between Phoenix and Seattle that was played Friday (Phoenix won, so they're still in the playoffs).
So we thought we would take the time today to reflect on some of our observations about where we've been the last two weeks - Doha and Cape Town.

Doha:
        It was hot, very hot. The best time is after the sun goes down, and that's when people move around by visiting the souq and celebrating.
        Alcohol does not flow in Doha, as it is a Muslim country. Foreigners must get a license to purchase alcohol and that is circumscribed, i.e. you can only purchase so much - and you have to drive directly back to your home after purchasing it.
        Visiting the souq at night was cool because it's more comfortable, temperature-wise, and people were out enjoying themselves. The variety of goods to purchase was amazing.
        It is a very harsh climate and countryside, something with which we're not comfortable nor used to experiencing.
        It was nice being included in Maria's circle of friends, all of whom are well-traveled and interesting.
        The country definitely is rich, as evidenced by the massive amount of construction as well as the State Mosque, the Aspire Zone, the National Library and the Museum of Islamic Art. And the palaces for the monarchy as well as the monarchy's private airport terminal.
        The Quatari people don't work; they are supported by the monarchy, and all the work is done by foreigners.
        Being a Muslim country, we heard the call to prayers five times each day from each mosque.
        The swimming pool at Maria's complex was a welcome antidote to the heat.

Cape Town:
        There is a lot of security, albeit very subtle. They don't carry weapons but they do carry batons. For instance, there is a security person stationed in front of the small shopping mall where we bought groceries who made sure only the "right" people entered. The first Sunday we were in Cape Town, we went to the grocery store in the complex, and there were several panhandlers in front of the store. Security made sure they didn't harass people. And every store that we visited, there was security roaming around.
        There is a lot of homelessness, some of which was very evident in the Company's Garden and around the Parliament area but we also saw it in the portion of town where the District Six Museum is located. Many were sleeping in tents, others had no visible shelter but had set up shop on the street with whatever belongings they possessed. Often, the police would tell them to move.
        It is a very diverse city, a little shabby around the edges and then, well, there are the townships. We heard from several different people that times are hard right now. It is a city, however, with lots of traffic and noise. We were happy to be footin' it most of the time instead of driving. The causeway we can see from our balcony is pretty much stopped traffic at the peak of rush hour. So we're happy to be leaving so we can experience nature and the more relaxing kind of things, although we'll be more in the colonial, i.e. white environment.
        Everybody has been so warm, friendly and helpful. Almost everyone with whom we've come into contact is black African. The only white people we see, really, are what we believe to be tourists.
        We successfully avoided all the touristy things we thought would be an ode to colonialism and sought out the histories of those who have been oppressed - and we learned a lot.
        We've been introduced to some African food, most notably at Gold Restaurant, but we bought some biltong on which to munch. It's like beef jerky - it's dried and cured meat that originated in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Various types of meat are used to produce it, ranging from beef to game meats. They are spiced and very salty. There was an African deli section that we noticed today after we bought our supper. It had ostrich, which also was in the meat counter. Don't know how to cook ostrich but I suspect I'll learn so I can grill some when we're in Hermanus.
We got spices and a recipe for bobotie, a well-known South Africa dish consisting of spiced minced meat baked with an egg-based topping. We'll try making it later this week on our road trip.
We're very conscious about how much water we use. Apparently, citizens are restricted to 50 litres of water a day but there are no such restrictions for us or tourists. We used bottled water mostly and used the water in the apartment only for coffee, showers and laundry.
        Cape Town is a large, sprawling urban center but regardless of where you are in the metropolis, you always can see Table Mountain, which is absolutely breathtaking.
        It's much cooler than we expected but it's been comfortable, and we've survived.

        We're moving on tomorrow to Simon's Town, which actually is the farthest suburb of Cape Town to the south. We'll drive down the western coast to get there. We've been told there won't be many places to stop, as the pull-overs are on the right side of the road and, well, we're driving on the left side going south. So, we'll see what opportunities we get.
        Hopefully, we'll get to go to Boulders Beach after checking into our abode for the next three nights. Boulders Beach has been the site for a colony of African penguins since 1985.
        No photos today, sorry! :)