On the bottom end of the world

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Feb 17-22, Cape Town

I dropped of my car in Durban, and I took a flight to Cape Town. CT is very cosmopolitan, very busy, very relaxed nad yes, extremely beautiful. The city is dominated by mountains and surrounded by the ocean on two sides. It has a very different feel for it then the other major cities of the country. Cape Town was the first city established by the Dutch in South Africa, which is reflected by its architecture.

One of the first monument I visited in Cape Town is the Castle of Good Hope, built by the Dutch to defend the town in the XVII century. It was never been besieged by an enemy, and is still used by the South African army for certain functions, but it is mostly a museum. The walls are not very high, but they are thick and they cover a sizable area. It also houses an excellent historical museum.

Cape Town also has a number of good museums, such as the District 6 museum, which keeps the memory of the neighbourhood of the same name that was razed during the apartheid era and its inhabitants (mostly blacks and coloureds) removed to the outskirt of the town. Other museums that I visited are the South Africa Museum, Jewish Museum and Bo-Kaap Museum. Most of the museums are clustered around the Company Gardens, which is a large park in the middle of downtown. Not far from the Gardens is Long Street, which is Party Central in Cape Town. Most of the bars and Backpacker Hostels are located on Long Street. It is party time every night there, so I had to flee it after two nights to get some sleep!

Another noteworthy street is St Georges Mall, which is a good place to hunt for curios. Not far from Long Street, on the slope of the mountain is Bo-Kaap neighborhood, a mostly muslim enclave which is well known for its beautiful, colorful houses.

On the 18th, I took the cable car to the top of Table Mountain. It has a breathtaking view on the ocean and on the city below. At night, I saw the Stormers, the local rugby team team to loose to an Australian team. It was the first rugby game that I have seen, but I understood the game and enjoyed the action.

The next day, I went on a tour of the Cape Peninsula. We saw seals and penguins (yes, African penguins) and went down as far south as the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape of Good Hope is not the southernmost point of the continent, and it is not even the official separation
between the Indian and Atlantic oceans (this is Cape Aguilhas, 50 KM to the east). Neverthless, who have heard of Cape Aguilhas??? So, I went for fame, and I can now have bragging rights to have been at the Cape of Good Hope.

My trip to South Africa has ended in Cape Town. My brief description of what I have seen in South Africa might give the impression that everybody is doing fine over there. It is not the case, there are lots of poor people, street kids out at night and shantytowns near the highways. There are obviously racial tensions in the country. However, as a tourist, it did not affect me. I had a great time, and I hope I will be back at some point in the future to visit the many things that I have missed.

PS: South Africa will be hosting the 2010 World Cupof soccer. I don't know how their team will do (they are not a soccer powerhouse) but I am sure they will have no problem organizing it. It is going to be the first World Cup to be held on the African Continent.

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Photos

view from the Table Mountain
I believe it is Signal Hill in the foreground.

Me at the Cape of Good Hope
When sailors have seen the cape, they knew thay are on a straight line toward home. I didn't want to leave...

Street in the Bo-Kaap neighborhood
The houses are colorful, but none of them has a garage...