October 22, 2009
Photo Credit: ifijay
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is a UNESCO World Heritage site about 15 minutes outside of the city of Cape Town. The gardens are a beautiful refuge where tourists can see the Cape Floral Region kingdom, the smallest but richest floral kingdom in the world. The area boasts a variety of fynbos (Africaans for ‘fine bush’) which can be seen nowhere else.
UNESCO states, “The outstanding diversity, density and endemism of the flora are among the highest worldwide. Unique plant reproductive strategies, adaptive to fire, patterns of seed dispersal by insects, as well as patterns of endemism and adaptive radiation found in the flora, are of outstanding value to science.” The Hottentots Holland mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to the garden.
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October 13, 2009
Protea Flower, Kirstenbosch Gardens, Cape Town.
As you probably noticed, the blog has been barren for a few weeks now. Part of the reason is that we were in the process of returning to Buenos Aires from Cape Town. It feels much like our second home now. We are slowly unpacking our bags and are really hyped for the Argentina-Uruguay soccer match on Wednesday which will most likely decide if Argentina progresses to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Are you going to watch?
Today I was stunned to find that Still Life in South America was chosen as one of the 15 Best Expat Blogs by Jessica Spiegel of Bootsnall Travel. Spiegel said that the, “writing is great, and the photos are plentiful.” I am elated to be included with such blogging legends as David Lebovitz in Paris. Thank you!
I appreciate all of my steady readers and the wanderers and expats who drift through. I’m glad that I can share my photos and impressions and perhaps even help other travelers on their journeys. You’ll be hearing my voice a little more often.
Chau y suerte.
Filed under Argentina, Cape Town, Uruguay
Tags: Bootsnall, Cape Town, David Lebovitz, Expatriate, FIFA World Cup, Jessica Spiegel, Kirstenbosch, Protea, South Africa, Travel
September 17, 2009
E. found these water flowers in the produce section in Cape Town and suggested that we try them for dinner. I was hesitant since the flowers looked like they had recently been sitting on lily pads, but I stepped up to the challenge.
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September 15, 2009
In a previous post, I introduced a slightly perturbed rodent named a rock hyrax, more commonly known as a dassie. I’m not sure that the photo truly conveyed the dassie’s character, so here are a few more photos.
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September 12, 2009
A must-see attraction for Cape Town visitors is the view from the top of Table Mountain. On a clear day, you can see 360 degrees, the coasts and the city. There are a number of trail options to climb up the mountain; however, we decided to take the cable car to save time.
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September 10, 2009
A Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish washed up on the beach in Simon’s Town. Its tentacles are stretched out on the rock below it.
September 8, 2009
We saw these guinea pig-like creatures at Boulders Beach. They were hanging around the penguins and looking generally sour about life. Their true name is rock hyrax, but South Africans call them dassies.
Dassies look like miniature bears, and you can barely resist the urge to grab their nubby little ears.
September 5, 2009
We arrived in Cape Town nearly two weeks ago and found a quaint neighborhood to reside that is close to a good string of restaurants on Long Street. Cape Town’s neighborhoods creep up hills against Table Mountain in the center, each of the homes seeming to jostle others for a better view over the city, mountain, and harbor. It is a great location for hiking, beach living, and city life and has a positive vibe in general. There are good culinary options due to such a mixed population of races.
One of our first side trips was to see the Cape Point nature reserve and to take a rail car to Cape Point.
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August 20, 2009
Photo Credit: malias
“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac
On Friday, E. and I are flying to South Africa. We’ll spend a little more than a month visiting the Cape Town area.
I’ll be posting some pictures once we get established.
August 15, 2009
No matter where we live, my favorite comfort recipe is chocolate banana bread. It has to be the most simple and quick dessert to prepare. After bringing a loaf to a get-together in Buenos Aires, the girls asked me to e-mail the recipe in Spanish. It took me a while to get around to translating it, but I finally sent it out. Please let me know if you make it!
Special thanks to my friend Melissa who is the world’s best banana bread baker. The following English and Spanish translations were inspired by a recipe on Elise.com.
No importa donde viviamos, mi comida favorita que me hace muy comoda es el budín de chocolate y banana. El budín tiene que ser el postre mas sencillo y mas rapido para preparar. Despues de llevar un budín para una fiesta en Buenos Aires, las chicas alla me pidieron por la receta por e-mail. Me tardé por traducirla, pero finalmente la envié. Por favor, avisame si lo haces. 
Gracias a mi amiga que se llama Melissa quien es la mejor chef de budín de bananas y chocolate. La receta que viene fue una inspiración por una receta de Elise.com.
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