South Africa
Cape Town, South Africa
Things we did in Cape Town, South Africa:
Watched kiteboarders from Dolphin Beach
Drove to the Cape of Good Hope
Watched the penguins at Boulders Beach
Took the cable car to Table Mountain and hiked around the top
Toured Robben Island
Hiked to Cecilia Waterfall
Went on safari at Aquila Game Reserve
Went bowling with Lorinda
Experienced an African drumming dinner performance
Visited Babylonstoren farm and winery
Kayaked with dolphins
Played together at the house: went swimming, played foosball, played Yahtzee, watched movies (Tommy Boy, Invictus, Season 3 of The Amazing Race, Barbie, Transformers 4, Home Team)
Performed life maintenance activities: washed and hung laundry, went grocery shopping, made smoothies, cooked meals, did dishes, got haircuts, refilled a prescription, planned and booked Namibia camping trip.
Cape Town was so easy and so beautiful. It felt sunny and familiar, like Australia, but in Africa. There’s a downtown with a bustling waterfront, nearby beaches, botanical gardens and lush forests, and loads of shops. We’d already been driving on the left side of the road in New Zealand, Australia, and Kenya, so driving in South Africa was a cinch. History, culture, wildlife, nightlife, adventure, the outdoors - all within a few hours drive.
Adding another person to the mix was a minor complicator, but it made me realize how good the four of us are getting at traveling together. And, we really needed Lorinda’s company. We were feeling homesick and needed someone we love from home to spend a bunch of days in a row with relaxing and having fun. Dreaming of Paradise House with Lorinda got us through some of the tough days in India.
Paradise House is what we started calling the Airbnb we stayed in for most of our visit. Three bedrooms; a very well-equipped kitchen (with a Magic Bullet blender!); a totally separate little house with a futon, TV, foosball table, and bathroom; a private pool; a massive dining room table; little nooks (inside and out) for relaxing, and a huge; and comfy sectional in the living room. All for under $200USD per night!
We looked online for how much Paradise House went for sale last…only $263,000USD. In 2022. Incredible. So, what’s the deal? The few South Africans we know have moved away or want their kids to when they’re older. But why?
Crime, inflation, water scarcity, poor power infrastructure, employment opportunities. Like in any city, I’m sure there are high-crime areas in Cape Town, but we felt 100% safe wherever we went. Still, security in Cape Town is intense. Standard home security includes multiple cameras, gates on all sides, and razor wire. Security guards are all over in malls and stores as well. I think Johannesburg is worse.
Load shedding is a strategy South Africa has used since 2007 to ease strain on the power grid. Periodically and unannounced, the power just shuts off. I stopped by the pharmacist during load shedding and couldn’t check out because their credit card system wouldn’t work, so I had to come back in a few hours. Paradise House had back-up solar power, which powered everything but the oven during load shedding, but the Airbnb we stayed at for a few days before that didn’t have back-up power, so the internet would go out as well. Grr. If load shedding happened in the evening and the power came back on in the middle of the night, whatever was on - the lights and TV and whatever else - woke me up with a start.
Also, like Minnesota, Cape Town is a fantastic place to live…if you’re white. Cape Town is a strange mix of Dutch, British, and African. It feels like what it is - an African country taken over by white people.
Okay, so we’re not moving to Cape Town, but we considered life as Capetonian, which gives an idea of much we liked it. Heaps of sunshine, lots of places to enjoy the outdoors, learning about apartheid and Nelson Mandela, going on safari, talking and laughing with our dearest Lorinda. We felt like we did a lot but still felt rested, never overbooked. Perfect.
