From South Africa with Love (1)

Went to South Africa with my wife (not in the photo above) for a holiday in Cape Town, safari in Kapama Game Reserve in the Greater Kruger National Park and to attend the 26th International Pediatric Association Congress of Pediatrics with its theme "Simunye-we are one" in Johannesburg.



Africa has a turbulent history and South Africa is no exception. I never really looked seriously at South Africa until this trip and I bought and read the book above on the long flight back. Being an ancient continent, it has a long history. It has also a long and bloody human history. I was trying to understand how apartheid came about and how it was broken up without civil war in the country. The book gave me some insights about that.

When I left Malaysia, I was very concerned about Malaysian politics and the future of Malaysia itself. Being in South Africa is an eye-opener and has given me a new perspective on many things. Also a reminder of many things I have taken for granted.

South Africa is a beautiful country.

Table Mountain in the background with Cape Town in the foreground.

Aerial cablecars bringing tourists up to the the top, its innovative structure allow the cable cars to pivot 360 degrees during the ride.

A sculpture of Table Mountain National Park. Here I am playing king of the hill

The main feature of Table Mountain is a level plateau approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) from side to side, surrounded by steep cliffs. The plateau, flanked by Devil's Peak to the east and by Lion's Head to the west, forms a dramatic backdrop to Cape Town and its Table Bay harbour, and together with Signal Hill form the natural amphitheatre of the City Bowl.

This section covers the southernmost area of the Cape Peninsula, stretching from Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope in the south, as far north as Scarborough on the Atlantic coast and Simon's Town on the False Bay coast. It was formed from the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.