SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Town: Day 1

SOUTH AFRICA!!! Cape Town!!! 

Hello! Hallo!

Sawubona! (actually that's the name of the SAA inflight magazine - Hello in Zulu, I think)

Land of Spur, Ocean Basket, Debonairs Pizza, Shoprite, Game, MTN, Standard Bank/Stanbic Bank, South African Airways, DSTV, Trevor Noah and Mandela (the last two being aired almost on monthly basis). With Mandela most notably the 3 movies :

1) Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

2) Goodbye Bafana

3) Invictus 

(Will talk more on the movie much later..or just IMDB it...I mean not 1MDB, but Internet Movie DataBase...phew, that could be quite a....ahem topic. Steering away from it right now)

Cape Town during our visit was in the low to mid 20's ºCelsius and the sweater from Sarcasteek serves the purpose. At the airport, Jean-Luc came to send us to the apartment at Adderley Street in Cape Town's Central Business District. 

A few minutes after we left the airport, Jean-Luc began the usual 'tour guide' enquiry. How many days? Places to visit. Infos on the best time to visit the many places of attractions etc etc. It was during this time he mentioned about the settlements along the freeway.

SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Town: Autumn Break ramblings...

Autumn break came and went, but we opted for spring time so we went down south to Cape Town, South Africa. Madam and the children had visited Johannesburg a year earlier and decided that I should do the same, albeit to a different city. 

We left Lagos on the last school day and naturally at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA), it was like a reunion of sorts. A dear friend of mine, Shatish once told me..."I tell you, the moment school ends it will be a 'white-out' day at the airport". What he actually meant was, almost all the oyinbo (white, foreigner) will be away for holiday or back to hometown, especially the ones with the children. 

We took the South African Airlines and the flight will transit at Joburg's O.R Tambo International Airport for about 2hrs before continuing our journey to Cape Town International Airport. Two thing I would like to remind any prospective travellers to SA....

1) Check with the airline if you're continuing your flight to other destination from O.R Tambo, do you have to get your luggage at the carousel and check in (again) at the domestic counter at the airport?

2) If you're travelling with children, and I mean your children apart from the passport, please bring along the original Birth Certificate or a copy with stamp and sign by authority (lawyer or officer at embassy/high commission) to certify the genuineness of the document (adopted children, bring the adoption document)  failing which, I don't think you can enter SA. 

Madam had difficulty last year when I was not around. I had to email her a letter giving consent to bring the children into SA because I am still around...if I am not (dead, extinct, late, lost, departed), then my death certificate would suffice.

Please check if you're travelling with someone else's children (I mean travelling with niece, nephew etc). Please check this leaflet provided by the Home Affairs Dept of SA (leaflet)

There's a reason for all these and best to just follow. It's you going to their country and not the other way around. For all you know, they're doing their bit to deter child trafficking in and out of SA. 

I always say to my friends, if you don't fancy going there...there's another 53 countries in Africa continent alone and a short flight out of Nigeria, will get you to Europe and even the Middle East! All in all about 120 countries between 40deg East and 15deg West of the world map (all from GMT line).

By the way...looking at the cloud over the Lagos Lagoon on the day we left Lagos, spring must be looking good in Cape Town, no?

storm brewing over Lagos Lagoon on Friday, 14th October 2016

NIGERIA: Lagos: Banana Island Cultural Festival 2016

Counting how many times you've been to a certain festival is a sure way of knowing how long have you been around or in my case, in Nigeria. We didn't miss the Small World earlier this year and last year in October, there was the Banana Island Festival. This year too we celebrated our Eid al Kabir twice in a row (2015) & (2016).

We arrived very much later. We missed most of the performance, even the 'Poco-poco' dance by the Indonesian group. I think we were late for everything! Missed the nice food too! 

NIGERIA: Abuja: Malaysia Day (16 September 2016) - (PART 2)

IMHO, the personnel of the Malaysia High Comm had done their utmost for the Malaysia Day in Abuja last month. I think it was the biggest event so far. Thank you are also in order for the sponsors of the event, IRIS, Edmark and the rest for making it possible for the HC to organise the event.

NIGERIA: Abuja: Malaysia Day (16 September 2016) - (PART 1)

Late August, I received an email from the High Comm's office in Abuja inviting Malaysians in Nigeria to celebrate Hari Merdeka (Independence Day) with them. There will be the flag raising ceremony and singing of the national anthem, Negaraku. A short speech from the Prime Minister would be read out by the High Commissioner himself and like truly Malaysian we are, there's the makan-makan (eating, feast). 

It was the 59th Merdeka celebration and we in Lagos, 8++km away celebrated by organising a small makan-makan for Saifuddeen. He and his family left this shore a few days after Merdeka day.