secret south africa: in a different time by peter harris

Admittedly nothing to do with Cape Town, but I was really impressed by this book, so I thought I’d share.

Recommended by a family friend, In a Different Time: The Inside Story of the Delmas Four by Peter Harris is the story of a group (of five, initially) MK commandos operating in the 1980s. Peter Harris, their lawyer after four were captured and brought to trial, narrates the story. It follows Jabu Masina, Ting Ting Masango, Neo Potsane and Joseph Makhura as they perform assassinations, bombings and other subterfuge; it also follows their trial after they are captured. Theirs was the first trial, I believe, in which the defendants maintained that they were soldiers and should be treated in accord to the Geneva Convention rather than tried in criminal court.

Told in a gripping style, the book is really enthralling. The civil disobedience vs guerrilla warfare debate is a long one which I won’t go into, but this book tells of the warfare side of things and it gives an interesting perspective of that. If I had one complaint about the book it would be that Harris makes some logical conclusions about violent protest, particularly against soft targets that I didn’t follow or agree with.

But, in the end, it’s a very well written. It seems I never find a nonfiction book that I can’t put down; this is a rare counterexample.

The book is available from Kalahari.net.

a touch of madness

The lounge room of A Touch of Madness, photo by Adrian Bischoff

A few weeks ago a friend had her going away part at A Touch of Madness in Obz. I didn’t know this place at all but it was a pleasant surprise.

Walking into the old Victorian house you get the overwhelming sense of that character, of the house. The lounge room near the front still feels like someone’s living room. Having drinks with friends there is relaxing and chill.

They have Birkenhead on draught and it’s only R15 during happy hour. This is a big plus if you ask me. They have a full dinner menu, I think, but we only had finger food. What we had that night was nice.

I’d like to go back again sometime for dinner or for drinks again and give it a further checking-out. Meanwhile if you’re in Obz and what something a little less hectic than the Main Rd madness, check this place out.

A Touch of Madness
021 448 2266‎
12 Nuttall Road, Observatory
website

heart of camps bay

Did you know that there’s a naturally occurring heart in the mountain above Camps Bay? On a tip from this list of fascinating Cape Town stuff, I went out to the Maiden Cove parking lot, between Camps Bay and Clifton, to check it out.

click for bigger images

the heart of Camps Bay, photo by Adrian Bischoff

Zoomed in and emphasized:

Detail of the heart of Camps Bay, photo by Adrian Bischoff

After searching around, I found it. I recommend looking up the slope of the Nek until you get to the first rocky outcropping. From there, go down and right (toward Camps Bay) and it’s right there. It’s the sort of thing you’d never see if someone didn’t point it out, but once you see it, you can’t miss it.

Heart of Camps Bay
Viewing location: Maidens Cove parking lot, Camps Bay.
map

Southyeasters Homebrew Beerfest 2010

BEER!, photo by Adrian Bischoff

I’ve been excited about this since I found out about it a month ago. It’s Cape Town-based homebrewer’s club Southyeasters annual beerfest. Homebrewers from the club will have beer for tasting, plus there’ll be beers from microbrews and SAB. There’ll also be food. It’s being held at the SAB Heritage Center near the rugby stadium in Newlands.

Tickets cost a paltry R50 and the price includes a tasting glass. Some tickets will be available at the door but a contact from the club recommended getting tickets ahead of time. (Contact info on this page.)

Given the lack of tasty beers at most bars, this will just about be a sensory overload experience, I think. Now who wants to be the designated driver for the day?

Southyeasters Beerfest 2010
SAB Heritage Center, Boundary Rd., Newlands
Saturday 17 April 2010 10am-3pm
R50
more info

secret cape town community: new facebook group + submissions & flickr

Since the beginning I’ve wanted the tips and secrets here on Secret Cape Town to be reader driven. I know some cool places in Cape Town but everyone together knows a lot more. Secrets are not meant to be shared, some say, but I think by sharing the lesser known things we love about Cape Town we can all be inspired to explore and find new places in the Mother City.

To facilitate sharing, I just created the Secret Capetown Facebook Group. It’s a good place to ask questions, discuss places and events, and to post relevant links.

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If you want to submit something directly to me, head over to the submissions page. You can write as little or as much as you’d like, from a tip to a full review/ description. If I post it, I’ll always give credit to the submitter.

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Tash’s birthday drinks at the Radisson Hotel by mallix, from the Secret Cape Town flickr group

This is just one photo from the Secret Cape Town flickr group. It makes me want to go to the Radisson and have drinks there myself. If you’re on flickr, join the group and share some photos with everyone. In the future, I’d like to regularly post some of the photos from the pool here, a Flickr Friday or something like that.

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Links:
Secret Cape Town Facebook Group

Email submissions

Secret Cape Town Flickr Group

three places to get excellent pizzas

pizzas at Da Vinci’s, photo by Adrian Bischoff

I’ve had thin, light pizza in a piazza in Venice and classic New York pizza under the Brooklyn Bridge. I’ve had Chicago deep dish in a shop hunkered under the L. I’m no pizza expert, but I have had good pizza. Cape Town’s pizza is at the two extremes: great and bland. There’s pizza that tastes like cardboard with a little bit of cheese and sauce on top.

On the other hand, I’ve had some excellent pizza at a few places. They’ve all been the thin crust plus fresh ingredients sorts of pizza–not a lot of variety in styles–but I’m not going to complain.

The first place I went to and the one I’ve been to most is DaVinci’s (Kloof St., Gardens). They have a number of interesting combinations like roquefort cheese, pear, and rocket. The ingredients seem fresh and the pizzas are good.

Dizzy’s, just off the main strip in Camps Bay, is a nice spot–a little more relaxed than the main strip, but also close enough to walk to to have some dinner after sundowners. I’ve had pretty straight forward pizzas here, but they’ve been fresh and delicious.

Col’cacchio is a chain with most of their locations in the Western Cape. They have everything from standard pizzas to celebrity chef designer pizza. I had one of those with Indian butter chicken, yoghurt, mozzarella, coriander and crispy onions. I enjoyed eating that pizza.

Da Vinci’s
72 Kloof St., Gardens
021 424 7504
davincis.co.za

Dizzy’s
41 The Drive, Camps Bay
021 438 2686
dizzys.co.za

Col’Cacchio
Multiple locations in the Foreshore, Camps Bay, Clairmont
colcacchio.co.za

So what are your favorite places to get pizza in the Mother City?

cape town stadium tour

Cape Town Stadium field, photo by Adrian Bischoff*

The other day I decided to take the tour of Cape Town Stadium in Green Point. For the small sum of R30, one gets an hour long tour of the stadium, including a few seating areas, the VIP area, the holding cells (for the badly behaved), and locker rooms.

There’s some history and facts, but the biggest parts of the tour are that you get to go to areas where you wouldn’t otherwise: the VIP area is decked out in swanky, warm wood and natural tones. The changing rooms are surprisingly bare—and only in Africa do they have small safes at each locker! Then there’s the pitch; you can rub your hand through the grass while looking up at the 68,000 seats, imagining the players running out the tunnel right through the grass you’re feeling. Unfortunately that’s as far as you can get, though. No walking on the grass.

Despite going on a Tuesday afternoon, the tour was full up. I’d recommend booking if you plan on going.

(I should note that if you just want to see the inside of the stadium, the Cape Town International Soccer Tournament costs the same as the tour plus you get to see some soccer.)

Cape Town Stadium Tour
Enter Granger Bay Blvd entrance
021 430 7346 (booking recommended)
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 10am, 12am and 2pm
R30 full fare, R10-15 reduced rate
more info

*I’ll be adding more photos to my on-going flickr photoset of the stadium.

Update: Here is info about the post-World Cup stadium tours.