SOUTH AFRICA ADVENTURES:

ARRIVING CAPE TOWN 2 March 2015

After a very smooth flight our plane arrives early by about 15 minutes.  My luggage is first off the plane and I am through to the outside quite fast.  This was a domestic flight as my first point of entry was Johannesburg and is where I went through customs.  Since I am so early I am not surprised when Joanna is not at the exit point from the baggage claim.

Once outside I call her driver - no answer, so I call her husband, Ady.  He tells me there is a huge fire causing them to have a very slow go and will still be about another 1/2 hour.  No biggie.  I settle in to wait.

My Cottage

Joanna arrives and off we go to her place in Kalk Bay.  I am renting one of the three cottages they have on their land.  A huge fire was not an exaggeration and it did cause loads of traffic due to detours. 

We get to the cottage, unload my luggage and take off for the bank and the phone store.  The grocery store will have to wait until tomorrow.  Ady cooks us a fabulous dinner and we watch the progress of the firefighters over the internet and news.  We decide it is not necessary to evacuate.

Wetlands

The next morning Joanna and I go for a walk in the wetlands across the road from her house and my cottage.  Their place is ideally situated in front of a mountain, across the side road from the wetlands 
and across the main road from the ocean beach.  The walk is beautiful.  We meet a young woman who tells us she is there to see what the fire situation is at the

Ocean View

country club located at the end of Joanna's side road.  The fire is up in the hills above the club, but isn’t a threat as yet.

Tuesday is Joanna’s movie day and also her eyebrow waxing day this week.  We head off for those activities and the grocery store.  We see the new Johnny Depp, Gwenyth Paltrow movie.  Really cute.  Next groceries.  That accomplished we begin the drive back.

As we travel around we could catch glimpses of the fire on the various mountain sides.  It is located in several areas and is more intense in some than in others.  As we drive we watch the fire literally make a path that forms a thin ring around the top of one of the mountains. It now has closed roads that were open this morning causing afternoon traffic to be quite heavy.

Joanna has a fabulous but old Jaguar that overheats when standing still.  By this time so many roads were closed, even the freeway was bumper to bumper with people trying to find a way home.  We stop at The Toad for a drink and snack in hopes the traffic will thin out and to allow the car to cool off.

After over an hour we realize the traffic is not about to thin out, so we get back in the car and manage to get home without the car dangerously overheating.  We decide to check out the status of the fire at the end of her side road.  Sure enough the fire is much closer to the houses and the country club than it was this morning.

Almost as soon as we arrive back at Joanna’s the police close the road to all except local traffic and fire fighting trucks.  By this time it was too late for helicopters to continue their flight back and forth to the ocean

Going Back For Water

to fill up their buckets and drop them on the fire.  The big question is whether we should get ready to evacuate.  I had only unpacked a little so it is easy to get packed up again and stash the luggage by the door.  

We went to bed not knowing what we might find in the morning.  At about 6AM when I get up to use the bathroom  I decide to look out the window that faces the mountain behind the cottage. 

Fire On The Ridge Above My Cottage

Imagine my surprise when I see the ridge above all covered with flames.  I call Ady and ask if they know about that.  He does not.  I dress and walk up to their house to learn the plan of action.

We spend the rest of the day watering down the land around the house and the cottages.  Joanna calls all of her casual workers in to take part.  At some point the copper piping had been stollen from in back of my cottage so there is no spigot.  I got the brainy idea to take the hose from the front of the next door cottage and bring it into my cottage under the front door and out the back door.  Bernice next door helps me guide it through.  We breathe a sigh of relief when it is ample to do the job.  We spray all around the sides and back.  The issue is the possibility of the fire jumping as they tend to do here and also the large amount of ash now falling from the sky.  One hot ash will be all it takes to light the brush on the mountain side behind us.

Fire Above The Country Club

There were many fire status messages on FaceBook from all over the area.  We meditate and pray for rain which does materialize even though it was not predicted.  The rain is small, but it happens three times over the day and early evening.

By the end of the day the fire seems to be under control and is gone from the ridge, so we decide we will stay put.  I still did not unpack thinking I will be ready if the wind comes up and fans the roots during the night.  The night before Ady had pulled one of their cars down to the bottom of my steps.  I ask him to leave it there for one more night.

All through this excitement I was sure in my heart all will be well for us - and it was.  The next day dawns bright and clear except for a smokey spot up and away from us.  The helicopters start to fly in water to further soak the roots as the dawn brightens the sky.

I unpack.  It seems like I have been here a month, even though it is only two 1/2 days!!!!

Much Love To You All,

Mom/Grandma Syrup/Sara