Why you should visit Soweto

OK I realise it’s been a long time between posts, put it down to lack of adequate net access coupled with an extended bout of holiday laziness. The longer it went on the harder it was to just ‘do’. So the next few posts may be random and out of any particular order. But for today, I’ve decided to start back with Soweto…

Yes, this is the kind of sign that people saw during Apartheid. Charming isn’t it?

Soweto is a place that’s pretty much synonymous with the Apartheid struggle in South Africa, the Soweto uprising was there and it is the birthplace of the ANC. It’s where the students rose up against the powers that were and refused to be taught in Afrikaans – the language of the oppressor. They paid with blood for their uprising but they were the events that shone a light on their plight.

We stayed in Orlando West, Soweto, which is where notable ANC members – Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Bishop Desmond Tutu (along with many others) all lived.

Outside at Sakhumzi restaurant, Soweto

When we mentioned to my friends and family in South Africa we were staying in Soweto, we were met with warnings and pleas to ‘be careful’. But the truth is we felt safer there than many other places in South Africa. There were no high fences, no begging, no feeling of insecurity – everyone was relaxed. Of course, one must be careful everywhere, but Orlando West is very safe and very welcoming for tourists. There are loads of B&Bs and a few great restaurants, as well as the Nelson Mandela museum (his old house converted) and the Hector Peterson museum (the youngest person to be shot by police during the student uprising against Afrikaans). We even got to go inside Walter Sisulu’s house, which is well and truly off the tourist map, and that’s because we dared to walk around the streets and chat to people – and one of those people happened to be a relative of Walter’s who showed us around.

Famous image by Sam Nzima of Hector Pieterson just after he was shot by South African police who opened fire on unarmed protestors in 1976. The photo spread through global news networks and became a symbol of the brutality of Apartheid.

The Soweto we saw was welcoming and vibrant – a far cry from it’s dangerous past. I only wish some of the people who talk about how dangerous townships are would take the time to challenge some of their beliefs. They’d be surprised. Or perhaps they don’t want to be?

Drinking at a shebeen

A couple of dancers on the street in Soweto

Local life

The best thing about Soweto is being able to talk to the people who live there everyday and dispel the myths that surround it. Someone wise once said the truth will set us free…

The wineries of Constantia – Cape Town

Three weeks in Cape Town meant plenty of time to check out the local wineries, which I think tourists often skip in favour of the more famous Stellenbosch region. But the wineries of Cape Town are fantastic, and very close (only 15 minutes from the city) so if you get the chance, you should definitely check them out.

Constantia is the oldest wine region in South Africa, dating back to 1685. And it’s beautiful – set in the hills under Table Mountain.

Some fantastic Cape Town wines

There are a lot of wineries in this region, but I was lucky to visit the following during our 3 weeks in Cape Town: Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Buitenverwachting, Constantia Uitsig, Steenberg. I’ve written some notes below – but I’m not a wine critic – I just like visiting wineries and trying out their wines. If you really want a professional opinion of the South African wineries, check out the excellent Platters wine guide, which is the equivalent of Australia’s James Halliday.

The region is most known for amazing white wine, while Stellenbosch and Paarl are more renowned for their reds, as the reds from Constantia are not as full flavoured. That said I tasted some fantastic reds in the area including a Steenberg Shiraz and Merlot, and all of the Klein red range was superb.

Steenberg
Steenberg had the most incredible setup for tasting – a beautiful open garden area where you could sit anywhere and the staff come to you and bring you the tastings. It was also free! (all of the others were 30 ZAR). Their whole range was excellent and in particular I loved the Shiraz (not much Shiraz is made in this region), and we bought their Sparkling wine too which was fantastic.

The amazing view from Steenberg Winery, Cape Town

Groot Constantia
Groot Constantia is South Africa’s oldest wine producing farm. The grounds are beautiful – great for a picnic. And their wines were great too.

Klein Constantia
Klein Constantia was my favourite out of all the wineries – they had a smaller range and all of their wines were excellent. I ended up buying the Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blend (Madame Marlbrook) and a Sauvignon Blanc. Their reds were also excellent – especially the Marlbrook.

Buitenverwachting
I wasn’t as big a fan of their wines, but their regular drinking sauvignon blanc was a stand out. It was also their cheapest wine at around AUD$5!

Constantia Utsig
This was our last visit in the day, which makes it hard to judge as I was pretty drunk by then. I do remember the wines were good, but I didn’t buy anything as nothing stood out.

Also in Cape Town I tasted the most incredible sauvignon blanc (it was almost smoky) at the Greenhouse restaurant as part of their degustation (more about that later), which was also produced in Constantia, but at a winery that is only open by appointment (Eagles’ Nest). Well worth checking out!

Dining at the Greenhouse in Cape Town

Winner of the best meal we had on this trip, and probably the best restaurant experience of all time, was our degustation at the Greenhouse restaurant in Cape Town.

We went there in December 2012, on recommendation from a friend in Australia. It is without a doubt, a must do if you have the time in Cape Town.

We’ve eaten at quite a few degustations in Australia (ezard, Jacque Reymond etc), and while they were great, this was definitely superior overall when taking into account the service, atmosphere, quality and value for money.

The restaurant offers a couple of tasting menus/degustations as well as ala-carte. We went for the seafood degustation, which was around AUD$100 including matched wines! Incredible value – the same meal in Melbourne would easily be $200.

Every course came with a matched wine – as we had seafood these were almost all white, and most came from local Cape Town wineries, which produce excellent whites.

The restaurant is not Michelin rated, as South African restaurants apparently can’t meet the standards required. Bizarre as this was superior in every way to 2 and 3 hat restaurants we’ve dined at in Australia. But it’s certainly getting more well-known internationally – the New York Times were in the restaurant the night we were there, photographing it for a review. Sadly I don’t think we were featured.

Here’s some photos from the amazing meal…..

Bread and amazing house dip

The incredible “soil” dip

Course No. 1 – Sea Bream Tiradito

Course No 2 – Crayfish Custard

NIkki in the dining room

Course No. 3 – Perlemoen & Smoked Snoek Broth

Course No. 6 – Rosemary & Honeybush

Course No. 5 – Fruits de Mer – sous vide fennel, squid ink garganelli, tomato-star anise veloute

Course No 4 – Cape Malay Kabeljou. Labster dahl, aubergine ragout, coconut jelly, crispy onions, Cape Malay spiced bisque

Course No 7 – Raspberry. Basil and Lemon Mousse

Petite Fours

Oliver our amazing waiter

Vin de Constance, a dessert wine made specifically for the Greenhohuse

 

The Shosholozameyl Train from Johannesburg to Cape Town

Back in December 2012 we caught the Shosholozameyl Train from Johannesburg to Cape Town.

At only $300 per person (in a double sleeper, including all meals) – it’s great value. There is also a local sleeper train you can get for around $70 – or the much more expensive Blue Train – check out Seat 61 for more. So this is the mid-range option). The trip is around 26 hours – leaving in the afternoon from Jo’berg and arriving the following afternoon in Cape Town.

We bought our tickets a few months in advance through the website – which was necessary at that time of year as the train sells out during holiday periods.

The journey has some fantastic scenery and is a much more relaxing way to travel than bus or plane.

The food was good, not great, but there was certainly plenty of it. We seemed to get fed every 2 or 3 hours. We also purchased some of the on-board wine which was good and reasonably priced. We bought a bottle and were able to leave it aside for the next meal as we didn’t finish it.

There is also a nice lounge car where you can get drinks or coffee at any time of day.

The sleeper rooms were very nice and the staff turned them over for you during dinner and you could come back and be all ready for bed. There are shared showers and toilets in each carriage and they were good and seemed to have plenty of hot water.

Overall the service were excellent – and it was an excellent way to get to Cape Town. If you have the time we highly recommend it!

Here are some photos.

The premier classe train in Jo’berg station

Sunrise on the train

The dining car

A double sleeper cabin

Drinks in the dining car