South Africa has captured my imagination for almost 15 years. After spending a month in New Zealand South Africa seemed a natural follow up as an English-speaking, far away destination with natural intrigue and not too many people. Much like New Zealand, South Africa seemed mysterious for its reclusive nature which keeps it out of the limelight most of the time; naturally I had some questions. How did there come to be white people in Africa? How is it that black people speak this weird version of Dutch? People surf alongside sharks? Is everyone racist and/or angry about that apartheid thing? I arrived with a huge blank slate upon which to color recolor my conceptualization. And I’m happy to say I have. I’ve answered these questions for myself along with more; I learned my three Bs: what biltong is, who my bruhs (pronounced “broos”) are and what a braai is. Additionally I’m happy to report that I can distinguishing which accent belongs to a Johannesburger (51% success rate!) and why I never want to be in Cape Town during the summer. I’m pretty much an expert in everything.
There is an exhausting amount to do around Cape Town, and I did a lot of things during the six weeks I was there
- Table Mountain
- Camp’s Bay
- Muizenberg
- Cape Point
- Kalk Bay
- Stellenbosch’s Botanical gardens
- Camping in the National Parks
- Shark Diving
- Simon’s Town Penguin Colony
- Sport fishing for Yellowfin tuna
Cape Town has served as an accessible, friendly gateway to Africa. After my introduction here I have a number of other African destinations that I’m penciling in for a return visit before I aim to touch other unknown parts of the globe.
