Oman: The Last Absolute Monarchy

The Omani hijab is modified for the flight attendants on Emirates Air. A sexy look, don't you think? The veil is worn while greeting and saying good-bye to passengers, not while serving food. That would not work well. The rest of the outfit is smart: knee length form fitting skirts, medium high heels and a…

BytarpleyJanuary 31, 20160Comments

South Africa 2016

Have You Ever Seen a Fern Like This?

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is a World Heritage Site and is ranked the 7th most beautiful garden in the world. It is the only botanical garden with mountains as a backdrop. I took the free two hour tour and was enchanted. The show stopper for me was this unlikely couple. I like to imagine they are…

BytarpleyJanuary 28, 20160Comments

South Africa 2016

What Does Upper Middle Class Life Look Like in Cape Town?

Think the equivalent of upper Northwest DC/Chevy Chase/Arlington where I am staying in an Air B&B. Actually, I am in the cabana behind the house and overlook the swimming pool. For $50 a night this is hard to beat. The cabana has a comfortable bed, copious hot water, mini fridge, hair dryer, is a $2.00 Uber…

BytarpleyJanuary 28, 20160Comments

South Africa 2016

The Art of Cape Town’s Woodstock Neighborhood

My DC friends would instantly know Woodstock: previous slums, open air drug markets, eventual haven for starving artists and now home to upscale coffee shops and boutiques. The street art is a combination of graffiti and commissioned murals by artists from all over the world. Here are two of my favorites. The zebra is by…

BytarpleyJanuary 28, 20160Comments

South Africa 2016

Art in Cape Town’s District 6

From Apartheid to freedom is captured in this commissioned mural. From right to left: oppression to uprising to fiery confrontations with police to imprisonment to Freedom. In 2009, South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp made the film District 9, a science fiction version of actual events in 1966 when 60,000 residents of the District 6 section of…

BytarpleyJanuary 27, 20160Comments

South Africa 2016

1950s USA South/ 1960s South Africa Apartheid

Is there a difference? You tell me. On my free walking tour on the history of South Africa, there were 14 of us. As usual, I was the only American. Other nations represented on this tour were: Russia, Germany, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Australia, England, The Netherlands, Japan and Argentina. Why was I the only one…

BytarpleyJanuary 27, 20160Comments

South Africa 2016

Not To Be a Cheapskate, But Free Can Be Really Good

So, I have shown up for five free walking tours and all have been outstanding. The first tour was to Bo Kaap, meaning "above CapeTown," an area where freed slaves (after 10 years servitude) made their new home. The first house in Bo Kaap was painted red. It was the doctor's home so everyone in…

BytarpleyJanuary 27, 20160Comments

South Africa 2016

South Africa Visit Begins with Table Mountain

On a clear day you CAN see forever, which is why the cable car lines can be hours long when there are no clouds. Saturday was beastly hot but clear so I waited 90 minutes for the cable car which holds 65 people per trip. The ride up is 3-4 minutes and the ride down…

BytarpleyJanuary 26, 20160Comments

Namibia 2016

What Does Namibia Taste Like?

German food, mostly. Lots of beer gardens and lots of sausage. Above is a hearty breakfast I ordered my first morning in a coffee house in Swakopmund. It was the least amount of food. The brown bread cost extra, bringing the cost of breakfast, including coffee, up to $4.00. A word about the coffee. There is either…

BytarpleyJanuary 26, 20160Comments

Namibia 2016

What Does Namibia Sound Like?

On the 4 hour trip through the desert in a 6 passenger van with German and Russian tourists and me, we listened to the local Afrikaans speaking radio DJ play American Country songs with heavy emphasis on Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift. Then he played an hour of classic American rock and most of us…

BytarpleyJanuary 20, 20160Comments