Hi all,

As of Thursday, I've now been in Cape Town for two entire weeks. Fittingly, I actually bought a car yesterday -- a 1990 Toyota Conquest (which is like a Tercel, but a step up with a hatch-back). Cost me R29 000 (or $2,788). I don't think you'd pay that much for the same car in the states, but used Toyota's are in high demand here. They're dependable and cheap to maintain. A professor in Zoology said his Toyota was stolen three times. Each time he went the Townships and retrieved it himself.

I actually went on a Township tour on Wednesday. There is a township in Houts Bay, the result of the government giving out fishing rights to the disenfranchised blacks and coloreds, but not giving them housing. Just about every white South African that I talked to warned me not to take too much money with me, and that I ought to be careful. However, I never once felt intimidated or threatened while walking around with our tour guide. In fact, people were very friendly. The children love having their picture taken. They point and giggle endlessly when they see themselves on the screen of a digital camera. I stupidly forgot to bring an extra battery with me, and so I wasn't able to take many pictures.

It is very rare for white South Africans to take these tours. We were told that the people in the townships have no animosity towards us (as white people) because as foreigners, we don't represent their oppressors.

Last week, I was the first person ever to purchase the first ever guide to insects of an African country. I met with Mike Picker the day that he received the shipment of his Guide to South African Insects, and I talked him into selling me a copy right there and then. R120 (~$12).

For the last two weeks, Mike Picker has been hosting the German scientist, Klaus, that described Mantophasmatodea, the newest insect order. Currently, Mike has about 100 live Mantophasmatodea in his lab. Last Friday, the discoverer gave a seminar on the beast. I'm not sure if this is going to hold water once they look at the morphology of more than one male and female. Klaus says that Mantophasmatodea has none of the apomorphies of any of the current orthopteroid orders. However, he can only technically exclude them from all current orders, except Orthoptera. The rest is a bit of hand waving. Plus the two specimens examined came from a small population in Namibia, while there are several populations of seemingly diverse forms all over western South Africa. As far as phylogenetic placement, he surmises that they are close to the Grylloblattidodea in some sense.

Caroline Christian told me it would take at least two weeks to settle in, and that I wouldn't get any work done. She was right. By tomorrow morning, I will have my car, my two field assistants, collection data, and maps. I also now have a more permanent place to live and a cell phone (my flat has no land line, and everyone uses cell phones). I'm finally ready to do some work.

I hope all is going well!

Shelah