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Things That I Have Learned In Capetown, South Africa

“Visit Cape Town and history is never far from your grasp. It lingers in the air, a scent on the breezy, an explanation of circumstance that shaped the Rainbow People. Stroll around the old downtown and it’s impossible not to be affected by the trials and tribulations of the struggle. But, in many ways, it is the sense of triumph in the face of such adversity that makes the experience all the more poignant.” Tahir Shah

Capetown was founded in 1652 when Jan Van Riebeeck (an employee of the Dutch East India company) arrived to established a way-station for ships traveling to the Dutch East Indies.

The Port of Cape Town is deemed to be one of the busiest shipping corridors in the world.

Though Capetown has incredible weather, Table Mountain can be cloudy. We ascended via cable car ( you can hike) to clear skies.

It was the ultimate view of the city.

Table Mountain alone has over 1,500 species of plants, more than the entire United Kingdom.

The top of Table Mountain is relatively flat and easy to explore. The views are wildly different in each area and It’s fun to walk around.

It did feel a bit like being on another planet and seeing your closest friends there.

We were lucky to see the sunset on a clear day.

Table Mountain’s peak, Lion’s Head has not seen a lion for over 200 years. After once thriving in the area, and no doubt giving their name to the smallest peak at the western tip of the mountain, the last lion was shot in 1802. Leopards followed in the 1820s, but the area is still home to some nocturnal cats. These include the small Lynx-type Caracal, and the far rarer African Wild Cat. It’s a good morning or sunset hike for those in good physical condition.

Bo-Kaap is the city’s Muslim quarter, known for its brightly painted houses in shades of lime, fuchsia, and turquoise.

it is also the best place to try Cape Malay cuisine.

Uthando is a nonprofit company that oversees many different community projects in the townships in South Africa. Uthando raises money and awareness for the many projects they fund through these tours. You are driven through very poor areas in the townships directly to these programs. I highly recommend it in Capetown. For more info read my my blog. https://travelwellflysafe.com/2016/05/10/visiting-community-projects-in-the-townships-in-capetown-south-africa-with-uthando/

Cape Town has an estimated population of 3.5 million people and its the 2nd biggest city in South Africa (behind Johannesburg.

La Colombe is Oprah’s favorite restaurant in Capetown. Make reservations in advance. it was also my favorite restaurant in Capetown but I didn’t try Test Kitchen. (fois gras)

An hour’s drive from Capetown are the wine lands.

Franschoek and Stellenbosch are two favorite regions.

Camp’s Bay, nestled just below the Twelve Apostles mountain range, is the perfect chic and trendy beach town to visit.

Camps Bay Retreat in a nature reserve across the street from the beach is a great place to stay.

Dogs are allowed off lead at Camps Bay Beach before 9am. It is so much fun to see what a great time they have there. I walked on this beautiful beach every morning before nine.

If you are in Capetown on a Saturday morning a visit to the Neighbor Goods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill should not be missed. It features a range of food stalls, fresh produce, and crafts and clothing for sale.

I tried fresh dried biltong for the first time here. Its amazing – it definitely has a higher fat content then American dried meat. It’s too good.

Afterward take a street art tour of the nearby Woodstock neighborhood with Juma Mkwela a local street artist and guide. (juma.mkwela@gmail.com) . Socially conscious artists from South Africa and beyond have joined forces to help spruce up, and add color to the poorer parts of this neighborhood.

V&A Waterfront has to great hotels, restaurants, an aquarium, a Ferris wheel, and a gargantuan shopping mall with African crafts.

It is the most visited tourist destination on the continent.

Boulder Beach is home to a colony of African penguins.

I’m not going lie it was the first thing we did when we got to Capetown.

Who doesn’t love penguins on a beach? I could have gone twice.

We stopped for lunch and shopping at Kalky’s.

We continued on to the Cape of Good Hope.

As we learned in Elementary School, Cape Point is the end of the world – the most southern point in Africa.

And it has baboons who will take any food or water you have on you.

On the way back navigation decided that we should take the beautiful Chapman’s Peak Drive on the west coast.I love a good road trip with friends and family. It had huge cliffs dropping down to the turquoise sea and crazy bends and turns with more lookouts and views than you could ever hope for.

Capetown is one of the most beautiful cities.

Fly safe,

JAZ

Visiting Community Projects In The Townships In Capetown With Uthando

“With love and joy, have happiness. “ Xolani from Uthando

Townships are holdovers from apartheid, when non-whites were forced to live in large communities. All townships around South Africa evolved over time, many of them turning into small cities. Unlike a real city though, townships lack key aspects of infrastructure, like sewage, universal running water, and well-organized electrical grids. Townships still exist today, but they’re changing and many have distinct sections of middle-class people as well as the very poor. There is most definitely poverty in a township, but that poverty doesn’t define the experience.

I feel as a middle class white woman that when I travel it is my responsibility to raise my awareness about how ninety per cent of the world lives. My visit to a township will not save anyone from poverty. It will probably not change anyone’s life – except my own.

I was going to be in Capetown with friends and family and I found Uthando (uthandosa.org) on the internet. Uthando is a nonprofit company that oversees many different community projects in the townships In South Africa. I was interested in going but was a bit concerned. There has recently been criticism about this new kind of tourism where visitors are feeling enriched by going to the townships and gawking at the poor standard of living. Uthando is different. Uthando raises money and awareness for the many projects they fund through these tours. You are driven through very poor areas in the townships directly to these programs.

I went with my daughter and some of her friends. We were lucky enough to visit a few programs. We started in Guguletsu. We went to the Zama Dance school. It is run by professional ballet dancers and is in one of the nicest dance spaces I’ve seen. The dancers are focused and trying really hard to follow the strict rules and postures of ballet.

We continued on to the Seniors Project. The women proudly showed us their intricate handicrafts and their beautiful center. Creating their interesting pieces and interacting with tourists gave them confidence, self-respect, some income and a voice.

Xolisa is in charge of the Isikhokelo Primary School Garden Project.

He loves gardening and is teaching the community to grow their own food.

Amy Biehl was an American student from Stanford University who was murdered in Capetown while working against apartheid. Her family and friends started the Amy Biehl Foundation in Khayelitsha to continue her work and help at risk children in the townships. We came after school and there were incredible music, dance, singing and acting programs going on. The kids were really talented. I was blown away by the fact that they were rehearsing Merchant Of Venice.

There was energetic African dancing, incredibly beautiful voices in the choral class and excellent musicians.

After school programs like these promote self-discovery, problem-solving skills, opportunities for positive risk taking, mastery of artistic skills and resiliency.

James Fernie, the director of Uthando, took us around. It is amazing that he has been able to incorporate so many small community programs into his organization.

We only saw a few of them.

One person cannot change the world alone. Development is a much larger and involved process. We are more likely to have small impacts than world-changing ones. I strongly urge anyone going to Capetown to contact Uthando and spend a half day with them.

Whether I choose to experience the poverty and see what people like James Fernie of Uthando are doing to help or not, we still all occupy the same planet. We are all human beings. My responsibility as a fellow citizen of this world is the same, whether I choose to see it and acknowledge it, help in any way I can, or do nothing.

Fly safe,

JAZ

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Things I Have Learned In Capetown, South Africa

Visiting Community Projects In The Townships In Capetown, South Africa With Uthando