Exploring the Cape

After two months of traveling the world my arrival in South Africa was a jolt to the senses in the most shocking ways. I was finally able to blend into a crowd. No longer I was the first white person that a person or a community ever came in contact with. No one touched my hair in awe that it was such a light color. No one compared his or her skin color to mine. No one asked to have his or her picture taken with me because I was such a rarity. I lost my rock star status. Food was recognizable long gone were the days of playing the “guess what is on my plate today” game, and there was order on the road. In China there was no speed limit, the Vietnamese used the sidewalks as roads when the actual roads were to full, and India…well I don’t think there were any rules of conduct there. Cape Town had road signs, stoplights, and police. I was in shock.
Visiting Cape Town is like visiting Disney. On the outside everything looks beautiful and happy…but too happy. Look a little past the surface and the dark past is revealed. With that in mind there is a million things to do I suggest the following:
Climb Table Mountain
Take a wine tour in Stellenosch
Shop, shop, shop…but prepare to spend a lot of money.
Eat, eat, eat…the food is fabulous.
South Africa is also the extreme sport capital of the world. You can come face to face with danger, throw yourself off or/onto/out of more things here then anyone else in the world. Here you can sky dive, white water raft, swim with sharks (careful because they do eat people on occasion…this is the full truth just ask me if you want to know more), bungee jump, ride ostriches, fly though the air with bears (well maybe I made that one up), and many more things that I never heard of in my life. What I’m trying to say is that if you can imagine it you can do it somewhere in South Africa.
I also HIGHLY suggest getting to know and understand the side of Africa that no one sees if you don’t leave the city.
Take a tour of the Townships
Go to Robben Island where Mandela and other black prisoners where held while fighting for equality.

Quick Tips:

Problems with racism still exist today in Cape Town. If you aren’t similar with apartheid or Nelson Mandela I highly suggest you read up on it before leaving. Although segregation and apartheid officially ended over a decade ago racism is still a significant part of life. Within their hierarchy there were three levels white being the highest; colored, those being from Indian descent being in the middles; black being the lowest; and Asians usually being classified as white status. If you are black and traveling in Cape Town expect to experience racism from white and colored people. Indian can expect racism from the black community more then the white, because the coloreds where considered to conspire with the whites against the blacks, and if you are white expect to put up with ignorant racist remarks from other white people.
If you are traveling with a mixed group this is also problematic. While traveling several people (of all colors) informed my friends and I that mixed groups were only acceptable after dark. My experience was the larger the group the better. One of my black friends and I left the group to exchange money before a going out to dinner. Both of us were dressed very nicely (in a suit and a dress I had made). While walking though the mall we where followed, stared at, and even had profanities thrown at us. At one point my friend confessed to me that he though we were going to be lynched and if anything happened that I was to run back to where we were staying and he would try to keep them off of me. The women at the currency exchange place explained to us that most people though we were on a date together which would be unacceptable.
Although this is an extreme story I though it was only fair to warn travelers of the problems that might greet you in Cape Town. This is not how everyone in South Africa acts or depicts the beliefs of everyone.

Best Way To Get Around:

Travel around Cape Town is easy. There is a tourist center at the Waterfront where you can find a slew of tours from walking tour of the cape and to shark diving excursions. The Western Cape Tourism Board is located on 3 Adderly Street.
Taxis are only available only when called (they don’t cruise looking for passengers). Rates start at R1.50 and then are generally R1.80 per km. If traveling long distance negotiate the price prior to getting into the taxi.
Trains are also an option. Although they are slower then buses the 3rd class compartments are cheaper.
If you are looking to go up Table Mountain cable cars is an alternative to climbing. They run every 5-15 minutes with the first car leaving at 8:30 and the last descending at 6:30. Roundtrip cost is R56.00 for students and R85.00 for adults. Cable cars do shut down periodically due to weather conditions and increased wind speed. Once on top of the mountain alarms will sound announcing the closing of the cable cars. At this point run to the station to ensure safe passage down. If the cable car is missed there is one option available; climb down the mountain.

162 miles out of Cape Town lay the Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve in the Cedarberg Mountain. Although from the outside the reserve looks spares (nothing more then rock and brush trying to grow in the desert) Kagga Kamma is a lesson in not judging a book by its cover.
There are two options for sleeping. The first is in large chalets that easily sleep 10 people. They are located a short drive from the main building, and are often visited by Elvis, the lone zebra, who searches for garbage to eat. The other accommodations are the lodge, which is hidden in the rocks making up the landscape. The rooms are made over to resemble Bushmen caves. They are large enough to sleep two people, but make sure the doors are closed other wise a bush baby or a baboon might wonder in.
The complex offers several tours of the 35,000 acres that it covers. One tour took me into the desert to find cave paintings that were made by the San people who inhabited the region for centuries. There are also replicas of houses that they once lived in,
A wildlife safari is also offered. This is the least impressive safari that I’ve ever been on. The area is said to be teaming with leopard, lynx, eland, kudu, gemsbok, cape klipspringer, duiker, zebra, rooi hartebeest, bontebok, caracal, jackal, and baboon. But while on the drive I only saw wildebeest, rheebuck, steenbuck, and several ostriches. We also spent several minutes chasing a mouse in our jeep…it was rather silly. The best part of the safari was by far the rock formations that are found here. Just before sunset our group arrived at a 500-meter-deep cannon with red sandstone cliffs to watch the sun disappear over the horizon.
The last tour I took was a fascinating night safari where the lack of animals drove the tour guide to point out star formations that aren’t viewed in the Northern hemisphere.
If there is one thing that they do well is entertain guests. The guides who work at the reserve only get a day off every few weeks so they are isolated from the outside world, guest give them a chance to socialize and they take every opportunity to. When my bus arrived at the reserve we were greeted with drinks, and the food never stopped flowing. Later that night they built a bonfire and cooked a variety of local food, which included the best steak that I have ever eaten. This gave all of us an opportunity to socialize with staff and get a view of what life was like outside of Cape Town.

My arrival in Cape Town put me in the center of a fairytale. As my ship glided into the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront we were greeted by children on a ferry hurrying off to school, sea lions floating lazily in the water, yachts racing in the distance, and Table Mountain beckoning us to come closer. I couldn’t help to think that I was in Disneyland. The waterfront has a plasticness to it a sense that things appear happier then the are.
The waterfront offers a multitude of activates everywhere you turn, and by the off chance that you get bored I suggest just opening your eyes. Everywhere I went there were performers on the street singing, dancing, and just having fun. There energy is intoxicating. Shops line the street and lead up to a huge mall where you can you can find everything from Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana to American comfort food.
Along the waterfront there is a small white bridge that leads in the direction of a smaller mall where the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront Information Centre can be found (Clock Tower Centre, South Arm Rd. tele. 021/405-4500, open 9-9 everyday). Here information on anything that you could ever dream of doing in Cape Town and in the surrounding areas can be found. Outside of the mall there is a large sign that points to different world cities and shows how far away they are. Just behind the sign there is a small concert area where sea lions can crawl out of the water for nap. At night it’s easy to find at least a dozen sleeping there.
Among the restaurants that line the waterfront St. Elmo’s stood out as one of my favorite. South African has a way of taking everyday classics and turning them into a fabulous dish that even Emril couldn’t turn down. St. Elmo’s is no exception. Their outside dining room offers a view over looking the waterfront. When the waiter comes he brings a round menu that you rotate a dial on to place your order. There menu consists of a variety of pizza.
Two Oceans Aquarium on the Marina’s North Wharf on Dock Road offers a variety of aquatic life from both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Admission is R55 for adults and R25 for children. The exhibits included the largest crabs that I ever saw in my life, jellyfish, a tank that sea lions could swim into, and a tank full of predators of the ocean. My favorite area was a small puppet show hosted by poop (yes, poop) that showed everyone the importance of recycling. It is hilarious.

Getting caught up in the beauty and majesty offered in Cape Town is easy; however a short trip out of the waterfront breaks down any illusions that might have held about South Africia. The whitewashed city turns into small houses occupied by the “colored” citizens (all Indian), and then into the black townships. From the outside life looks grim. I saw stores and schools made out of old shipping containers and one room houses that sheltered entire families. The distinctions between the classes is obvious, and purposely set up that way to remind everyone where they stand on the food chain. However within the townships a vibrant culture thrives.
Tours do go out to the townships although the older, white residents of will strongly warn anyone inquiring about the tours to avoid them. As a white tourist I went and found it to be an experience that changed me, but I would caution against going on a self-guided tour. There are many areas where it is very dangerous to not only to tourists, but to residents of the townships as well. Residents of the townships welcome all visitors with open arms and only ask that you come with an open mind and share there story, but there are parts of the townships that are dangerous for anyone, especially white people to go to. Tour companies will direct you away from these areas,
My tour took me to Khayelitsha, the fastest growing township in South Africa. I got off my bus and was immediately attacked by half dressed children who wanted to play. Vicky of the famous Vickys B&B (presidents and other world leaders have trekked to Cape Town just to stay with her) met us at her front door, a modest two-bedroom house that barley fit the queen sized bed that both rooms held. She explained to us about apartheid and how the government was trying to right the wrongs of the past, but after 11 years there is still an imbalance. Now the people have to be the ones who make the change. She started her B&B as an inspiration to the community. She challenged others to start to grow food that she could buy to serve her guests. She challenged others to make linens for the beds. Victoria became a shinning bacon of hope in her community that made people remember the injustices of the past, but not use them as an excuse to impair the future, but as a way to educate the world about what man kind is capable of both good and bad; and how to rise above the conditions of today and improve their life for tomorrow.
The tour concluded with a trip to a school were tots sang to us and then a tour of a place where women worked to raise money for those in the township who had AIDS. The walls of the place were decorated with slogans about how women will change South Africa.
A township tour is an eye opening experience that no one should miss especially if they want to see the real Cape Town.

If Cape Town wasn’t enough to wash away an images painted National Geographic of which Africa is suppose to look like, Stellenbosch will help redefine anyone’s view of South Africa. The architecture offers the best of Cape Dutch, Victorian, and Georgian; and the fields that once were covered in wheat are now full of grapes making the area the heart of South Africa’s wine country. The list of vineyards in the area read like a who’s who list of wineries including Kanonkop, Meerlust, Jordan, and Morgenhof Wine Estates.
There are two major highways that run through wine country the N1 and N2. Located off of N2 turn off on the R310 and the off on R44 stands the 300 year old Morgenhof Estates. The winery is situated beside the Simonberg Mountains and boast to be in an area that produces the highest quality of grapes for wine production. The Cape Dutch style buildings welcome guests as they drive down a perfectly manicured road to the main building. The estate can be described as nothing less then a fairytale.
The hours that they are open vary depending on the time of the year. In the summer they are open from 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, and 10am-5pm on the weekend. Their winter hours are shorter; Monday-Friday from 9am-4: 30 and 10am-3pm on the weekend. I arrived with a group of 20 people that they had no problem accommodating. They brought us into a homey room overlooking the road and explained to us, mostly first time at wine tasting, how the process works. We each sat a small table that held four people. They brought out some of their most popular wines including their Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve and Sauvignon Blanc among others. They explained the taste to us as well as how it was produced.
Morgenhof also offers tours of their wine cellars as well as served on their gazebo or in their gardens daily. The menu and hours also vary from season to season.
More information about the winery can be found at their website or they can be contacted at +27 21 889-5510 or at winetasting@morgenhof.com

Table Mountain is hard to miss. Standing proudly in the middle of Cape Town, Table Mountain was the first glimpse that I caught of South Africa as my ship sailed into the port. It looms over the city creating a dramatic backdrop to the area.
Climbing Table Mountain isn’t for the weak of heart or in my case those unknowingly on the verge of full blown strep throat, fun times. Although this is one of the most climbed mountains in the world, hikers have taken a toll on the paths. Some of the areas have eroded causing areas to become very dangerous and sudden changes in the weather as well as fog have taken many lives. The climb takes on average 2-3 hours and offers several paths up. A few of my friends took the path from the Kiestenbosch National Botanical Gardens and several times faced nothing but rocks where they had to climb ladders. I believe the name of the path is called the Skeleton Gorge. My taxi driver was much kinder and dropped my group off at the entrance that faces the waterfront, near the cable cars. The route is known as the Pipe Track and is one of the easiest ways up. It is about 7km up and the path starts at Kloof Nek just off of Tafelberg Road.
The trip started off as most do; everyone gung-ho about making it to the top, but within the first hour we were dropping like flies (give me some credit I was sick and battling food poisoning). For the most part there is a well laid out path that leads up the mountain. Brush filled paths give way to large boulders that offer a place to sit, shade, and hide from the vultures that were looking to snack on my meaty legs. Although the people in my group claimed that they only saw sparrows and other small garden-variety birds I know that I saw a vulture eyeing me up for a mid-day meal.
An hour and a half into the climb I started to regret being a tight wad and not shelling out the R56.00 for a student ticket to ride the cable cars, but the views that I was getting couldn’t compete with the cable cars. Salvation came when I saw a V-rock formation that signaled that we were only minutes from the top,
Surprisingly the hardest part of the climb isn’t the climb. Once on top of the mountain the real danger begins as I dragged my lifeless body off of the path and to the cable car booth to beg for a ticket down. The top of the mountain offered encouraging signs like “Dangerous path” which needed to be taken to get to the cable cars. Four-foot high stone steps were between me and civilization with nothing but a chain to use to pull my body up from step to step, but there was yet another promising sign “Do not use chain to climb.” I did anyway.
Once we made the perilous trip to the cable car station we stopped at a small shop that was decorated with Coke signs and umbrellas (there is truly no place on this Earth to escape the grasp of Coke and Pepsi even on the top of a mountain). Outside of the shop is a pay phone where one of my friends decided to call home. At this point I should warn everyone that at the bottom of this mountain it was 90 degrees and where we were it was in the 40’s. Suddenly we heard sirens going off. Being tourists we ignored the alarms and went on our merry way. We looked around, took pictures, and then leisurely walked over to the cable cars only to find that they were shutting down and were all leaving. They graciously let us pay, but only in exact change so that we could go with them.
The cable car was a wonderful trip down the mountain. It rotates 360 degrees so that everyone has a view of the city and is able to see and laugh at other people climbing the mountain why you are gliding down it in luxury. We also got a wonderful view of Devil’s Peak, which we couldn’t see from where we were climbing.
The lower cable-car station is located on Tafelberg Road. Operation times change throughout the year. For more information call 021 424 5248 or check out there website at www.tablemountain.net
Although Table Mountain isn’t exactly