township mapping

At the same time I was taking a great nature hike just before the start of FOSS4G, there was a mapping party in Houte Bay.  The party clearly came out a success, and thanks to Mikel for passing on the contact info of the gracious hosts at Tobi, I was invited out to the area today to continue the work that was started the other week.

This morning, Sebastian, Grant, Belinda, and I started out in Imizamu Yethu (sometimes called IY, or more recently Mandela Park), the local township.  With the excellent guidance of Afrika Mone, we got the main road and a few side streets, stopping by a few local spots, including a tavern, preschool, museum, community center, and a surprisingly nicely set up computer lab.  With a little luck and communication, I'm optimistic some of the kids taking courses there will continue our efforts and get the rest of the township mapped. 

As usual, the few folks I chatted with in the township were friendly, and did not seem to mind some tourists wandering around, though I did get a couple strange looks and shouts as I jogged up a few side streets to get some waypoints.

Leaving IY, we moved on to some decidedly more expensive neighborhoods.  Million dollar houses with fantastic views of both the bay and the township provided an interesting juxtaposition, and  a few more streets in the system.  Overall, it's been another great day in a series of many here in Cape Town.  I'm flying out Saturday morning to see some relatives in Joburg, leaving me with just one day left to find good enough weather for a short paragliding jaunt.

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