Koeksisters taste even better after a few miles
The history of South Africa and the continued struggle to change outcomes for so many people creates a country rich with memory and recent tragedy. Cape Town is home to many of these memories and as we learned more through our visit, my choice to do a run to close out our time here was more meaningful than I had planned.
The route took us past a host of historical sites: places were slaves were executed, where racial The large crowd of runners meant moving was slow and made it easy to chill out and look around as we moved through town.
There were many memorable parts of the race (such as tripping over a squirrel in the company gardens or that all South Africans seem to thank the race marshalls), but the part that will likely stick with me for a while was the Bo-Kaap (pronounced Boo-cop).
The reward at the top of the hill? Koeksisters: Homemade and offered to me on a tray by a man who beamed when I turned around to exclaim: 'They're still warm! Thank you!' Prior to the run, I was pretty sure I would not be consuming a fried piece of food while running. However, there was no doubt in my mind that I would have it as I reflected prior to this point on the route. We passed mosques and churches, District 6, the whipping post, and then I considered the kindness of people we shared meals and a home with, the struggle of a country to design solutions for horrible inequities, and more. Honestly, the cardamom and sweetness of the Koeksister shared with me in the Bo-Kaap is likely something that will remind me of the culture and struggle of South Africa for many years to come.
The end of the race area had a perfect cultural picture. Here, a man selling duvets, tasers and cell-phone tasers (which he was demo-ing for all). Directly next to him was a coffee cart from Truth coffee, selling their best in the world coffee (voted so recently by the Daily Telegraph).
The juxtaposition of the population of folks, mostly white, living on top of the world, with a huge population hustling to survive created a constant tension on the trip. It made it challenging to appreciate some things because it's so clear they're not a cultural experience, they are created for tourists.
This challenge has made the trip rich. We've had challenging conversations. We've been thoughtful about where we go and what we do.
The route took us past a host of historical sites: places were slaves were executed, where racial The large crowd of runners meant moving was slow and made it easy to chill out and look around as we moved through town.
There were many memorable parts of the race (such as tripping over a squirrel in the company gardens or that all South Africans seem to thank the race marshalls), but the part that will likely stick with me for a while was the Bo-Kaap (pronounced Boo-cop).
- I finished a hill that I thought was easy and was feeling proud of myself
- Suddenly, the Marshalls turned us left and I saw a small signboard saying: KOEKSISTERS HILL
- Looking up, I saw beautifully colored homes, smiling faces and then...a hill with a grade of at least 15%!
The reward at the top of the hill? Koeksisters: Homemade and offered to me on a tray by a man who beamed when I turned around to exclaim: 'They're still warm! Thank you!' Prior to the run, I was pretty sure I would not be consuming a fried piece of food while running. However, there was no doubt in my mind that I would have it as I reflected prior to this point on the route. We passed mosques and churches, District 6, the whipping post, and then I considered the kindness of people we shared meals and a home with, the struggle of a country to design solutions for horrible inequities, and more. Honestly, the cardamom and sweetness of the Koeksister shared with me in the Bo-Kaap is likely something that will remind me of the culture and struggle of South Africa for many years to come.
The juxtaposition of the population of folks, mostly white, living on top of the world, with a huge population hustling to survive created a constant tension on the trip. It made it challenging to appreciate some things because it's so clear they're not a cultural experience, they are created for tourists.
This challenge has made the trip rich. We've had challenging conversations. We've been thoughtful about where we go and what we do.
PLEASE SOMEBODY WIPE THE STEAM WAND!
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