Whales get better deal than Dalai Lama
Back in Cape Town for another few days and luckily the nor' wester came in on cue again. Got up early and headed for Muizies on a grey, warm morning. The offshore wind was p-p-perfect, into a medium swell. Caught stacks of waves. The shark-spotters had the black flag up - visibility poor. There were surprisingly few surfers so I guess the shark scare is still reverberating around the bay. Suddenly I looked up and about 300m out saw two huge eruptions of white water. A couple of southern right whales were cavorting, leaping clear of the water and arcing over nose first, with their huge crescent tails looping in behind. I thought how silly it is that these mammals have such easy access to our shores while poor Dalai Lama can't get a visa to attend Desmond Tutu's 80th birthday bash. I mean Tutu can be a pain but he should be able to invite Lhamo Dondrub (his birth name) if he wants to. It's testimony to the clout that China now wields on the African continent. The irony is that most South Africans are completely ignorant about the way China has just rolled over Tibet, a country whose people are genetically different from the majority Han of China. Incidentally, Dalai is Mongolian for 'ocean'. Mongolia is a land-locked country - go figure! The QSL is from the old Radio Beijing using the transmitter in Lhasa, Tibet. It was heard in Johannesburg on short-wave in 1989. Lhasa transmitters still come in very well into Cape Town.
Back in Cape Town for another few days and luckily the nor' wester came in on cue again. Got up early and headed for Muizies on a grey, warm morning. The offshore wind was p-p-perfect, into a medium swell. Caught stacks of waves. The shark-spotters had the black flag up - visibility poor. There were surprisingly few surfers so I guess the shark scare is still reverberating around the bay. Suddenly I looked up and about 300m out saw two huge eruptions of white water. A couple of southern right whales were cavorting, leaping clear of the water and arcing over nose first, with their huge crescent tails looping in behind. I thought how silly it is that these mammals have such easy access to our shores while poor Dalai Lama can't get a visa to attend Desmond Tutu's 80th birthday bash. I mean Tutu can be a pain but he should be able to invite Lhamo Dondrub (his birth name) if he wants to. It's testimony to the clout that China now wields on the African continent. The irony is that most South Africans are completely ignorant about the way China has just rolled over Tibet, a country whose people are genetically different from the majority Han of China. Incidentally, Dalai is Mongolian for 'ocean'. Mongolia is a land-locked country - go figure! The QSL is from the old Radio Beijing using the transmitter in Lhasa, Tibet. It was heard in Johannesburg on short-wave in 1989. Lhasa transmitters still come in very well into Cape Town.
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