Greetings from Cape Town, Africa’s “mother city”. I arrived here last night after flights that, while long, were both remarkably on time and quite decent, all things considered. The overnight flight to Amsterdam was cramped and uncomfortable and full of screaming babies. But the longer flight to Cape Town had more comfortable seats and much better company. I alternated between watching movies, dozing, and getting local advice for Cape Town from my seatmates. I arrived in Cape Town’s efficiently designed airport and made it through customs in 5 minutes flat — are you listening, Trudeau Airport? — grabbed my bags, and hopped onto my pre-arranged transfer. The hostel I’m staying at is very nice, located in a fairly quiet, residential neighbourhood a few minutes’ walk from the V&A Waterfront. I stumbled into my room and collapsed, and slept like a baby for ten hours.
Today was a day for getting my bearings, mostly. After breakfast, I walked up to the Waterfront area and wandered around a bit. They’ve developed the entire waterfront and harbour into a tourist-friendly maze of shops, craft areas, restaurants and cafes. It all feels a bit artificial, and it was rather quiet this morning since it was a Tuesday and it’s considered low season here. I took care of a few necessities, like getting a SIM card and arranging a couple of local tours for the next few days. And then I set off for my first mission: Seeing the city from the top.
Cape Town is a very distinguishable city, with Table Mountain rising dramatically on the horizon from nearly any vantage point around the peninsula. It makes Mount Royal look like a speed bump in comparison. Lots of people climb Table Mountain and there’s also a cable car that runs up. Unfortunately, when I went to get my ticket for the cable car, I learned it was closed today due to high winds at the top. Oh well. I’ll add it to my must-do list between now and when I leave.
Next, I headed to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens for a stroll around. It was somewhat of a low-key activity, sure, but the gardens were truly impressive, and the parks and trails made for a nice way to enjoy the beautiful, sunny weather. (Ah yes, that’s the other thing: “Winter” here seems to mean sunshine and 25 degrees, because that’s what it was here this afternoon. At night it drops down to the low teens, and everyone starts complaining. Seriously, it’s quite funny. But I digress.)
After spending an hour or two at the gardens, I headed up to Camps Bay for a stroll on the beach. Camps Bay is along the Atlantic coast, and is one of the poshest parts of the city, with high-end boutiques and cafes standing near-empty since it’s “low season”. I had a great late lunch at a Thai restaurant overlooking the water.
Finally, I headed back to the waterfront area for a few more necessities — groceries, ATM — before catching a taxi back to the hostel. It was only a seven-minute walk, but the sun was going down and it’s strongly discouraged for anyone to walk around at night here, even in the relative safety of Green Point. I’m feeling kind of hemmed in by that, since I’m the type of traveler who likes to explore by walking. People don’t seem to walk in this city. Apart from a few specific areas, people tend to drive everywhere here. So it’s a bit frustrating to have to plan in advance where I’m going and take pre-arranged transport everywhere. It’s not the end of the world, of course, and better safe than sorry, but it is a bit frustrating.
I made it a quiet night tonight, staying in and watching movies with some of my dormmates. There’s a happening nightlife scene in the city centre, but I think I’m still feeling tired from the flight, or maybe it was the hot sun today. Anyway, back at the hostel, I had a Quentin Tarantino movie marathon with my two German dormmates and an Australian guy who is going from South Africa to Germany by motorbike. Yes, really. I love the interesting people you meet when you travel.
First impressions of Cape Town? The landscape is beautiful, and the city has tons to see and do. The people are incredibly nice and friendly. I can’t wait to see more!
Interesting first impressions. The not walking thing would really annoy me too! I love to wander on foot around a city. I’d be tempted to just wander anyway, but then (a) I’m not a girl – sadly in this world it seems that still does make a difference when it comes to safety even though it shouldn’t and (b) I guess i am a bit reckless as backpackers go… but that’s how stories and adventures happen, right?!!
Looking forward to your next update…
Alex, I’d normally be inclined to walk around anyway, too. After all, most places are far safer than they’re made out to be by the media. But here, even the locals — male and female — will tell you ‘don’t even think about it’, and sadly they’re probably right. There are some areas and neighbourhoods that are better bets than others, but all in all it’s not worth the risk.
Thanks for reading!