Plotnik's List: Blonde to be Named Later

Blonde to be Named Later
Originally uploaded by thegreatplotnik.

Miles outside downtown Cape Town, on a windswept open plain without a shred of vegetation, lies the black township of Kayelitsha. Many cities in the world have many problems, but Kayelitsha seems to have them all. Unemployment. Drug addiction. HIV infection. Dirt streets that must be hell in winter. "Housing" that can only be written in quotes.

But Kayelitsha also has wonderful preschools, including one called Masikhule Home Creche. Inside Masikhule one sees beautiful children with excitement pouring from their eyes. In this photo, one also sees a blonde head disappearing under a sea of happy jackets.

The blonde head belongs to Irmtraut, though Plotnik and Ducknik now get to call her Irmi. Irmi and her sister Gerhild visited Kayelitsha on the same day as Plotnik and Ducknik. The four became friendly, and it turned out that the sisters were from Munich, the city to which Plotnik and Ducknik were scheduled to fly on their return from South Africa, before continuing on to Saint Plotniko.

It came to pass that four weeks after this photo was taken in South Africa, Irmi and Geri spent an entire day showing their beloved city in their beloved Bavaria to their new friends Plotnik and Ducknik. The four went to beer gardens, tasted leberkase, walked through churches and squares, tasted more leberkase, drank more beer. Most of all, Irmi and Geri reminded The Great Plotnik that wise travelers do not travel to see famous things -- they travel to meet wonderful people.

Now, Irmi and Geri are on Plotnik's List. If they, or people they love, ever show up in Saint Plotniko, they will have a place to stay and friends to show them where to find the best hand made tortillas, the best tacos, the best chocolate, the best coffee, the best views of the Bridge. That's the way it works when you're on Plotnik's List.