GHZA2016

The flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg takes roughly two hours, which seems like an instant when you’re accustomed to 32 hour marathons! Because long-stay parking is less expensive than two Ubers, my plan was to leave our car in parkade P5 at CTN. However, on approach to the airport the helpful sign indicated P5 was CLOSED due to no available spaces. As we crept up to P4 (not long stay, would have been more expensive than two Ubers), a spot opened (literally a “1” appeared on the sign board), and we drove right in!

The flight was uneventful, and Tracy met us at the domestic arrivals hall of JNB. After some discussion, we went to the Emperors Palace for dinner at Taste of Mumbai. We all enjoyed the Indian cuisine. We’re now at the Emerald Guest House (renamed Airport Inn) where we’ll spend the night before departing in the morning for Kguatswane.

Before we departed Cape Town International Airport this afternoon, I took the photo below from the departure lounge. Simonsberg, Botmanskop, and Stellenbosch Mountain are visible in the distance if you know where to look.

—Matt

The engineering faculty at Stellenbosch University is at the north side of campus. While most campus buildings are oriented square to the east-west axis of campus and town, the three engineering buildings are oriented along a northwest to southeast line. Thus, an eastward approach up Banghoek Road brings one face-to-face with the imposing and formidable main building (below), its sterile architecture in stark contrast to classic styles elsewhere on campus and in town. There is, presently, a massive construction project underway at engineering. I hope the renovations will soften the façade of the building.

On Catherine’s last day with Janneke, they went to Rush, a bounce place in Claremont.

I did two errands at lunch today. (1) I purchased a Wild Card to reduce costs for our upcoming Kruger Park safari and my later trip to the Cederberg. (2) I fetched Catherine’s iPad which was again repaired.

—Matt

Apart from Tracy being away and a new nanny for Catherine, today was a normal day. Catherine and Janneke went to Butterfly World, despite the cold and rain. Catherine wanted to see the Tamarin, but it stayed in its heated home.

I picked up Catherine’s iPad (its screen was malfunctioning again), but it has been disabled due to too many password attempts. She didn’t really try that many times; a glitching touch sensor caused the password attempts. I need to figure out how to restore it. Oh, technology!

—Matt

At high tide, small boats can navigate the Goukou river several kilometers inland and northward from the ocean. High tide today was at mid-morning, meaning that an early departure would be necessary. Being winter, an early departure also means a cold departure, and there was some discussion of the merits of this plan. In the end, the “when else in our lives will we get a chance to do this?” argument won the day, and Wikus, Mbali, Catherine, Mark, and I departed at 7:45 AM for the jetty, arriving shortly after sunrise. 

While Wikus put the inflatable boat in the water, I drove the truck off the ramp to a parking spot. As he sped toward the dock where Mbali, Mark, and Catherine were waiting, Wikus playfully swung the stern to splash the dock. Thankfully he missed. 3 °C (37 °F) is cold enough when you’re dry; nobody wants to be drenched! Despite being wrapped by comforters and being clothed in several layers (in my case three below and five above), the full-throttle, high-speed up-stream journey was biting cold. Mark buried his head beneath the blanket. Catherine and Mbali snuggled to keep warm. Wikus and I both had tears streaming from our eyes; he kept his open to drive, I kept mine open to absorb the glory of a stunning but crisp morning.

The only sense of warmth came from our closest star. In terms of temperature, the ride was tolerable in the sun, less so in the shade. In terms of light, the sun provided a soft, warm orange glow against the sharp, cold blue of the water and sky. Beautiful!

Back at the house, we had a late breakfast, and people took beach walks or stayed inside to read. Mbali and I went for a 10k run.

About 1:30, we began the long drive home. The return trip was significantly different from Friday’s night drive to Stilbaai; we could see our surroundings on this sunny afternoon. The green rolling hills and yellow canola stood in sharp contrast to the deep blue skies. Travelling down Sir Lowry’s Pass afforded a fantastic view over the Cape Flats toward Table Mountain. 

We are grateful for the hospitality shown to us by Wikus and Heidi. We are also thankful for friends old (Karin) and new (Mbali). It can be difficult to live in a different culture; but it is much easier when you are welcome, when someone can be your guide. Indeed, life is navigated with the help of friends, and we are richer for the shared journey. I can only hope that I enrich my friends’ lives as much as they enrich mine.

—Matt

Sunrise, Stilbaai

The Boat

Snuggle

Orange

Canola

Today was Catherine’s last day with Danielle. We so appreciate her care for Catherine this semester. One more nice photo below!

—Matt

As befits winter in the Western Cape, rain has fallen for significant portions of the past two days. Everything is soaked through; only the hearty are outdoors.

Danielle, Mark, and Catherine went to CityRock for some indoor climbing fun this morning. Both loved it! Photos below.

I set an informal goal for myself in South Africa: have one interesting conversation each day. So far I’m doing pretty well. Today’s conversation was with Frank, a German who has been working on CSP in South Africa for the past two years. It was fascinating to compare notes about the country, its people, and its energy systems.

—Matt

First Ascent

Harnessed

Mark Climbing

Catherine Climbing

This is Mandela Day. Tracy and the kids went to Warwick to see a sculpture made from thousands of necklace beads. Otherwise, the place was closed for the winter. Oh, and they saw a white cat and its kitten.

—Matt

Yesterday, Reinhard (one of three presenters in the session that contained my second paper) and I walked through campus, boarded a train, and walked downhill through Brighton for dinner on the ocean. This was after I posted yesterday's entry, so I’ll include some photos here. We saw the burnt-out West Pier and enjoyed a calzone at Nu Posto. 

Near the ocean, we happened upon a memorial to British soldiers killed in the Second Boer War. I was as disoriented by its inscription as I was bewildered in the last two days by the most ordinary of conference conversations. Typically, I quickly answer “Where are you from?” with one of “Calvin College,” “Grand Rapids,” “Michigan,” or “the U.S.” But this meeting was different. My presentation was on Ghana, I have a position in South Africa, but my employer is in the States. “South Africa, but I work at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, but I just spent 5 months in Accra because my wife led our university’s study-in-Ghana program, but I’m currently on sabbatical in Stellenbosch, South Africa” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue!

The workshop is finished, and I’m waiting in Heathrow to go home. But the concept of “home” is a little fuzzy at the moment.

—Matt

US

Brighton Beach

Second Boer War Memorial

This was the first day of the Exergy Economics workshop. I received some very good feedback on my presentation about Ghana which I will incorporate into the work for the remainder of my sabbatical. I attended the workshop dinner in Brighton (a short distance by train from the University of Sussex). On the way home, I snapped this photo of the street scene and double-decker bus outside the Brighton station.

—Matt

I’m on my way to the University of Sussex in England for the 3^rd International Exergy Economics Workshop. I’ll make a presentation entitled “Useful Exergy in Ghana,” and my co-author João will present a second entitled “From theory to econometrics to policy: Insights and cautionary tales from macroeconomic growth modeling with the CES production function under an ecological economics framework.” João’s presentation is based on our recent submission to the journal Energy Policy, which itself is the outcome of work begun two years ago at the 1^st International Exergy Economics Workshop.

—Matt

One of my favorite activities is hiking Table Mountain, the defining geographical feature of Cape Town. Living in Stellenbosch affords the opportuinty to do so, being only 45 minutes away. A good walk takes all day, and the weather needs to be right: warm and clear with little wind. Capetonians would call it “fine.” If one actually works for a living, a gorgeous weekend day is required, a winter rarity. But today was just such a day. Predicted highs were 27 °C (80 °F), with winds 1-2 m/s and no clouds. Yes!

My favorite route is called Smuts Track, which ascends through Skeleton Gorge, one of many river-bearing ravines on the back side of the mountain. The trail head is within Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, and after paying our entrance fee we began the climb.

There are five distinct sections of this hike. The first is a climb through the forest that hugs the low slopes of the eastern side of the mountain. Fortunately, Table Mountain National Park does a spectacular job of maintaining the many, many log steps cut into the side of the gorge. They wind past waterfalls and gnarled stumps. The steps are brutal on the quads, and we took several breaks.

The second section of Smuts Track involves five ladders of varying length. These ladders are expertly placed, solidly attached, and well maintained, making the ascent here almost a pleasure. At least it is a welcome change from the first section in which you are always climbing stairs but never reaching a second floor!

The third portion is an unassisted scramble over large boulders in the river. Recent rains filled the river as full as I have seen it, making for slippery footing. We were careful and emerged out of the gorge where spectacular views of False Bay and the Cape Flats can be had. At the top, we took a short detour over a dune to a the Haley-Hutchinson reservoir that supplies fresh water to Cape Town.

Next is an exposed ascent up the back table toward Maclear’s Beacon. Signs clearly mark the way, and a few wild flowers are blooming at this time of year. The novelty was gone, and frequent breaks were needed. But 360° views of the Cape Peninsula and, indeed, the whole of the Western Cape are available on a day as clear as today. 

We soldiered toward Castle Rock, my favorite place for lunch, for its shade and for its quiet. We were observed by a crow who craved our scraps. It considered becoming aggressive but waited until we departed before rummaging at our picnic site. The food rejuvenated the less-than-twenty members of our party, and we carried on past Castle Rock for one additional climb to Maclear’s Beacon which we reached in about fifteen minutes. A nice midwesterner from Cincinnati, Ohio took a family photo.

Maclear’s Beacon is both the highest elevation on Table Mountain and the demarcation between the fourth and last portions of the hike. From the pinnacle, we followed the yellow footprints across rock and footbridges for more than a mile on the flat top of the mountain to the upper cableway station. From the station, Mark looked down into Camps Bay.

We took a cable car down the front of the mountain where the stunning, sheer rock wall of Table Mountain is so close you feel as though you could touch it. When safely to the bottom, I hailed my first Uber whose quiet driver (an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo) took us back to Kirstenbosch where we jumped in our car and drove to Stellenbosch. We left home at 8 AM and returned at 4 PM, just about as I expected.

Both kids were stretched a bit by the hike: Mark by the physical demands and Catherine by the length. Aside from sibling squabbles, they both did well. Mark and Tracy said they could do the hike again in six months. Catherine and I would do it again tomorrow. Regardless, it was a great family outing.

—Matt

Smuts Track

Skeleton Gorge

Steps, So Many Steps

Waterfalls

Gnarled

Breaks, So Many Breaks

Breaks (2)

First Ladder

First Ladder - Catherine

First Ladder - Mark

Short Ladder

Sister and Brother

Scramble

False Bay from Skeleton Gorge

Dune

Reservoir

Signs

To Maclear’s Beacon

Yellow Flowers

Breaks (3)

Breaks (4)

Breaks (5)

Cape Peninsula

Cave

Castle Rock

Lunch

At Maclear’s Beacon

Yellow Footprints

Footbridge

Camps Bay

The Sheer Face

Tracy took a nice photo of Catherine and Danielle. They saw the new Ice Age movie this afternoon.

—Matt

South Africa’s energy story is both interesting and compelling. Interesting, because of its history of oversupply, undersupply, and blackouts; because of its potential for renewables, both wind and solar; and because it is home to the only nuclear power plant on the continent of Africa. Compelling, because it is a “canary in a coal mine” of sorts regarding energy constraints on the economy. So much so that I wrote a paper on that topic in 2010. 

Thus, I find South Africa a rich location to teach on energy and energy-related topics. For the Thermal Energy Systems module that I’m teaching this week with Richard, I organized two site visits to Eskom facilities, and we added a third for good measure.

First, we drove out of Stellenbosch at sunrise to Atlantis for a tour of the Ankerlig open cycle gas turbine power station. After a breathalyzer test and a briefing from Ncedo, we took a short walkabout at the site. This power station is supposed to provide electricity in times of peak demand, with a target of operating only 5% of the time. But there have been times when the duty cycle increases to 25% due to high demand and low supply elsewhere in the country. I took a photo of the large transformers that sit between the electrical generators and the grid. We also took a class photo.

Next, we drove to Koeberg, the only nuclear power station in the whole of Africa. We were scheduled for an on-site tour, but lack of available staff due to school holidays and Eid-al-Fitr meant that we saw only the visitor center. (To comply with regulations, one plant employee must accompany every three visitors. Melvyn was apologetic.) However, we saw a nice video, and students asked a host of good questions. 

Koeberg might be the most picturesque site for a nuclear power plant in the world. From the visitor center observation deck both the plant itself and Cape Town are visible. Of course we took two additional class photos.

On the way home, we stopped at Klipheuvel to see the wind turbines. I gave a five-minute talk about the machines and the history of the site, including my involvement in developing SARETEC. (In its initial concept, SARETEC was to be housed at the Klipheuvel location.) We weren’t onsite, but we could see the turbines well enough from behind the locked gate.

It is humbling to know that the students will remember this day long after they forget Richard and my lectures. But that’s what makes site visits worthwhile!

Throughout the day, we drove through some of the most beautiful, green countryside in South Africa. Recent rains have brought out the winter wheat. The air was cool and crisp. White clouds dotted the sky. Lovely!

—Matt

Sunrise: Klipheuvel

Transformers

Class Photo (1)

Koeberg Visitor Center

Koeberg Reactors

Table Mountain

Class Photo (2)

Class Photo (3)

Green

Tracy took the kids to Cool Runnings, a family toboggan park today. They rode a bobsled-like cart down a stainless steel track. They enjoyed every minute of it. Mark called it exhilarating! 

I taught the first day of my Thermal Energy Systems postgraduate module today. Topics included the world energy situation, oil, and thermodynamic cycles. I assigned a “tutorial” in the late afternoon. Students responded well and worked diligently. Tomorrow’s topics include gas turbines and coal and nuclear plants.

—Matt

Ride

Stainless Steel Track

Exhilarating

Thermal Energy Systems

As happens a few times each year, yesterday’s rain and hail brought snow to the mountains that surround Stellenbosch. At the lower and relatively warmer elevation of Stellenbosch town, snow rarely (never?) falls. 

I paused my chilly, 3 °C (37 °F) run up the Jonkershoek valley to take photos of the icy white peaks of Simonsberg and the Hottentots-Hollands mountains. In the clear winter air, I could see to Cape Town, too. A dawn run through Jonkershoek is like a morning run through the Creator’s cathedral; a vaulted blue ceiling rises above soaring walls painted by the rising sun in the hard gray of sandstone, the light brown of soil, the soft green of fynbos, and the bright white of snow. It is a privilege to be there.

For lunch we went to Postcard Cafe in Jonkershoek, but it was closed for the winter. I used my telephoto lens for a better look at the snowcaps and a regular lens for candids.

We moved slightly downriver to the cafe at Lanzerac, a historic vineyard founded in 1692. After a lovely lunch, we took a stroll and a partial family photo. Catherine rolled on the lawn but stood still long enough for an individual snapshot. Our destination for tomorrow’s hike was visible beyond the Cape Dutch manor. It was a lovely afternoon in a picturesque setting!

—Matt

Simonsberg

Hottentots-Hollands

Table Mountain

Telephoto

Catherine at Postcard Cafe

Catherine and Tracy

Historical Marker

1692

3/4 of a Family Photo

Catherine at Lanzerac

Botmanskop

Lanzerac Manor