Cape Town Promenade walk & Bo-Kapp

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Sea Point Promenade Stroll http://www.heygo.com

One of the many pleasures of Cape Town life is a stroll, jog, or cycle along Sea Point’s most famous landmark, the Promenade, one of Cape Town’s most lively attractions, bringing together cyclists, dog-walkers, joggers, skaters, amblers, and everyone in between. The Prom, as locals call it, starts at Mouille Point near the Waterfront, and runs along the water’s edge through Sea Point.



Once a white-only area, it’s now a great place to observe the city's multiculturalism.

The coastline has varied characteristics. Some parts are rocky and difficult to access, while other parts have broad beaches. Sea Point beach adjoins an Olympic-sized seawater swimming pool, which had served generations of Capetonians since at least the early fifties.



The underwater enchanted Kelp Forests in Cape Town, are where plants grow like tall trees. It is truly a beautiful and serene dive. These forests are home to a large variety of Marine Life, Gully Sharks, Shy sharks, Pajama sharks, Crabs and many species of fish. In between the Kelp Forests are stunning Reefs, with gullies and swim throughs to explore. We also saw some of the kelp on the beach.




Bo-Kaap - Mother City

The earliest development in the Bo Kaap area was undertaken in the 1760s by a chap called Jan de Waal. Subsequently, the area became known as Waalendorp. It has also been known as the Malay Quarter, the Slamse Buurt, and Scotcheskloof. Translated from Afrikaans, Bo Kaap means ‘Above the Cape’.



Part of the Bo Kaap’s charm is the mix of Cape Dutch and Cape Georgian architectural styles.



In the 1700s, political exiles, slaves and convicts were sent to the Cape by the Dutch from India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the Indonesian Archipelago. Although not technically correct, these individuals and their descendants became known as Cape Malays. Many of them eventually settled in the Bo Kaap. In the mid-twentieth century, the Apartheid government, under the Group Areas Act of 1950, declared the Bo Kaap a Muslims-only area and forced people of other religions and ethnicity to leave the area. This case was unique because, during this time, most working class (and non-white) people in South Africa were being moved away from the cities.



Construction on the Auwal Mosque in Dorp Street began in 1794, making it the oldest mosque in South Africa. However, Muslims were only allowed to practice their religion in public from 1804. The mosque was built on land belonging to a freed slave called Coridon van Ceylon, whose daughter, Saartjie van den Caap, inherited and donated the land. Abdullah Kadi Abdus Salaam, also known as Tuan Guru, was the mosque’s first imam. Tuan Guru was imprisoned on Robben Island for political reasons. While he was there, he wrote an entire Quran from memory. This Quran is available for viewing at the Auwal Mosque.



Bo Kaap is one of the most brilliantly-colored and historically-unique neighborhoods in all of South Africa.

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