One of the many stories I’ll take back from Cape Town is the adventures to be had on the public transport.
To get to work every morning I have to take a train from Otterburg station, about a ten-minute walk from where I’m staying, which brings me right into the heart of Cape Town.
Trains do not arrive at any set time; they just come when they come. They are regular enough during the week, sparse on a Saturday and like gold dust on a Sunday - unfortunate as I have to be in work on Sundays.
The train has first (Metrorail) and third (Metrorail plus) class carriages. If you are white or any race and holding down a good job you will stay away from third class. Those carriages are packed, cramped and you will be the subject of pickpockets and funny looks.
First class, although scrawled with graffiti up and down the carriages, is relatively comfortable and safe. But this is a stark indicator of just how big a poverty gap there is in South Africa.
It is problem that stretches back to apartheid when the cycle of poverty forced upon black people and other minorities is now something many of them struggle to break free from.
As well as the trains there are the 'mini-kombis' that roam around the city and its suburbs. The public buses are not recommended here so instead people use these supposedly safer, clapped-out, old Toyota mini vans.
Getting on one is a real adventure. Usually some hyped up young man in scruffy clothes will whistle, shout and harass you to get on. "Dis-a-whey! Dis-a-whey!" (This way) they shout and when they find out you’re heading in their direction they will literally drag you by the arm and onto the bus, fighting off others trying to get you on there’s.
The mini buses don’t leave until they’re full and I mean full. In one supposed 13-seater, I sat in the boot, or rather crouched while my friend sat on the spare tyre. With about 17 of us in there it was an intimate affair.
Seat belts are non-existent and speed limits are broken as the old, battle-hardened drivers race around the city looking to get as many people on and off as quickly as possible to maximise profit. At just 5 rand per passenger (less than 50p) you can’t blame them for doing it the way they do.
But for me it's all part of the adventure.
I’ll leave you with a picture of a Nelson Mandela statue by the Cape Town waterfront, and a seagull that clearly has good taste.
Making New Year's non-resolutions.
(Sun 17/01)
Taking over the Mersey trains
(Thu 05/11)
A very alternative trip to Leeds
(Thu 15/10)
South Africa's modern day apartheid
(Thu 20/08)
Working in a Cape town nursery
(Tue 28/07)
