My South Africa Diary: Cape Town

I’ve wanted to compose my thoughts about my recent trip to Africa for a while now.  I feel as if I’m doing the country a disservice when anyone asks about the trip and all I say is “It was incredible!”  I have to admit this isn’t my first attempt at a blog, I’ve had about three others, all of which I might have had a combined total of ten posts.  My biggest blog weakness: actually blogging.  But this time it’s going to be different.  I’m going to split up these South Africa posts by the places I visited so as not to bore you with pages of text… I can promise lots of pictures though!!  Okay, off we go!

Going to Africa immediately after graduation meant not only seeing and experiencing things I would never experience in America but it also meant putting any and all job opportunities on the back burner.  But looking back on that decision I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Our trip began in the exquisite cosmopolitan city of Cape Town, South Africa.  Well actually it began with a 15-hour flight but we won’t get into that… That’s the one part of the trip I would like to forget.  But not even an excruciatingly long plane ride or being a bit under the weather could spoil this view.

Photo via Twelve Apostles Hotel

Let me tell you having a travel agent as a mother has its perks.  We were fortunate enough to be staying at the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa which is aptly named because it’s nestled between the Twelve Apostles mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean.  I mean look at that view… I could die.

Photo via Twelve Apostles Hotel

Even the view from the exercise room had a stunning view of the ocean.  But I’ll admit that not even this gorgeous view could motivate me to come back and work out the next morning.  Working out while on vacation never really pans out for me, but at least I had good intentions.

We spent our first morning exploring the various hiking paths around the hotel (clearly not dressed in proper hiking attire). 

The rest of the day was devoted to a tour of Robben Island.  During the almost 45 minute ferry ride out to the small island it was hard not to imagine how powerless Nelson Mandela felt as he traveled to the island.  

Throughout its history the island has seen much human suffering.  It's most commonly known as the island that housed the maximum-security prison where Nelson Mandela served 18 of his 27 years behind bars before the end of Apartheid.  During that time, political prisoners were required to work in the island's lime quarry for at least six hours a day.  This caused massive damage to their eyesight due to the constant dust and the glare of the sun on the white lime cliffs.  It's last political prisoners were released in 1991.  A few years later Robben Island was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Robben Island is also a known as an important seabird breeding colony.  It hosts more than 130 bird species.

Nelson Mandela's cell

We finished our sightseeing for the day with a quick stop to the Bo-Kaap area, known for it’s brightly colored houses.   This is a section of Cape Town that is home to many of the Cape Muslims.  When the original Malays were brought to the Cape in 1658 most of them were slaves or political exiles.  After slavery was abolished in the early 1830s, the Cape Muslims settled in this area on the slope of Signal Hill to be close to the mosques that had been built there in the late 1700's. It's name Bo-Kaap literally means, "above Cape Town". The Malays had a significant influence on the Africaan's tongue, and many of their culinary traditions were absorbed by other cultures. The houses are painted different bright colors because two hundred years ago, most of the slaves were illiterate and unable to read house numbers, hence the distinguished and identifiable colors.  Naturally I gravitated toward one house in particular…

The day concluded as any good day should, with delicious food and lots of wine.  Our hotel said that it would be a crime to visit Cape Town and not have dinner at one of their iconic seafood restaurants, The Codfather.  How great is that name?!  What makes this restaurant so unique is that there is no menu.  You literally walk up to a glass case, similar to what would exist in a butcher shop, and point to the exact fish you would like to eat.  Their seafood is “just caught” fresh and the dining experience is warm and relaxed.  It’s exactly what you might expect from a cozy beach town, except that this one happens to be halfway around the world.

More South Africa posts coming soon! Until then, Cheers!

A