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Weekend Argus, Cape Town, September 4, 2004

GIVING TOURISTS THE AUTHENTIC SA EXPERIENCE

Immerse yourself in the culture and history of the Bo-Kaap,
writes Helen Bamford

Capetonian Monique Le Roux couldn’t have been further from home when she came up with an idea to show the real South Africa to visitors; not just the pretty sight but the real immerse-yourself-and-get-your-hands-dirty experience.

Le Roux was living in the far-off floating villages of Cambodia, in a foreign country and not speaking a word of the language but finding herself being welcomed into people’s homes nevertheless.
“I was invited to take part in their lives. I ground rice on these ancient contraptions and learned how they did things first-hand. I guess I was curious and they opened their homes to me.”

Le Roux had been living and working in France, but after her Cambodian experience decided it was time to come home with her German husband, Michael Wolf, to Hout Bay where they set up Andulela Experience.
Andulela is a Xhosa word meaning “first” or “to be the first” and the idea was for this to be the first authentic South African experience for a visitor.
“It also means to leave something behind which fits nicely with our aim of providing cross-cultural experiences.”

Le Roux works with a network of local people who provide a range of experiences and with whom tourists can interact and exchange ideas and experiences. She said she initially planned to target the foreign market, but then realised it was ideal for locals too. “As South Africans many of us don’t even know our neighbours. We travel to exotic locations but if we just look at the Bo-Kaap, for example, there are plenty of exotic experiences right at our doorstep.”

The idea of Andulela is to take small groups of people, not more than eight, on an interactive, hands-on journey into various aspects of South African life. Le Roux offers various tours, from diving with sharks and seals to close encounters with baboons to discovering fossils and rock art or taking part in a fynbos indigenous tea ceremony.
The latest tour, called the Cape Malay Cooking Session, was launched last week and is where visitors get a chance to try their hands at recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. But the tourists don’t just sit back and eat – they learn to make the food themselves – from rolling up rotis to filling and folding samoosas and mixing masala.
Misbach jokes that she shares most of her secrets, but holds back the really special ones. The group goes on a guided walk with Misbach’s sister, Shereen Misbach Habib, through the heart of the Bo-Kaap, learning about the history, religion and cuisine of the colourful and historic quarter, then heads to Rose Street for a traditional drink called boeber. Le Roux says she believes in responsible tourism. “It’s not about saving the world or handouts but rather about keeping the balance between the needs of visitors and the region. But it’s also about respect, value for money and keeping things authentic.”

Text: Helen Bamford
Pictures: Leon Lestrade

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