Cape Town: my spirit city

so in case it wasn’t clear, i have a new favourite city and its name is Cape Town.this city has EVERYTHING. you can go shark diving, climb one of the 7 Wonders of Nature (Table Mountain), surfing, sand duning, ziplining, paragliding, safariing, AMAZING shopping, beaching, partying. like we were going to go see the penguins and this guy wanted to go kayaking on the same day. lo and behold we googled it and of course you can kayak right at the penguin beach. you want it, CT’s got it!

it’s a developed city with a very recent racially divided and tumultuous history. parts of the city reminded me of LA or even Vancouver but it’s still got that wild African charm. it’s actually SUPER similar to Rio, with the gorgeous mountains acting as backdrops as the city sprawls around them, the party atmosphere, the slums (Cape’s favelas are called townships) and the clutch-onto-your-purse-at-all-times mentality. it’s true, every person who heard i was travelling there was like “be careful, be careful.” i spent my first day there being terrified unless i was in a crowd of people. but like EVERYWHERE else in the world, just have your wits about you and the rest is out of your control. Cape Town is ranked the 13th most violent city in the world because of the outskirts - there are 15 homicides a day on avg. my shark diving guide Wiehann told me if you walk into emerg at any given time it’s like 90% gunshots and stab wounds. but he said this happens in places i would never just stumble upon, on the outskirts of the city. so best to stay on the beaten path!i met the best people at my hostel. Scottish Andrew was always good for lols “this feels like New Orleans” - “i guess” - and he always checked on me and got me to get in the cab home first. Derek from San Fran was down to yolo and pulled me to the safe side of the sidewalk when we were approached by sketchballs. Pedro from Madrid was brushing his teeth but then rallied with me to go out dancing on my last night. Anne at the hostel was such a sweetheart, and Camille took us to local bars “when we were ready” at 3am lol.

i loved Waterfront and the familiarity of a gorgeous promenade/marina with amazing shopping and restaurants; the ritzy Camps Bay reminded me of lunching in LA; Hout Bay was like an old fishing marina; Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is peaceful and beautiful.

obviously, i wasn’t going to go to Cape Town and NOT go shark diving!! still showing that bucket list what’s up. apparently Great Whites aren’t as common anymore where i went (a bunch were killed by groups of whales) and some groups don’t even see sharks at all. i went to Gaansbai with Great White Shark Ventures, and apparently no other groups there that day had seen a Great White. our boat went out to sea and anchored down after about 20 mins. we hopped into the cage in groups of 5, the water was freezing, the crew was yelling DOWN DOWN DOWN for us to duck our heads under water when they spotted a shark. we saw a ton of copper sharks and it was cool, but we were prepared to write the day off as sans Great Whites. just as we were about to head off, a giant 3m long white bellied friend came outta nowhere and ZOOMED up next to the cage. we all lost our shit. i was SO EXCITED. everyone jumped back in the cage for a new turn. it was crazy and so so so epic. one of my faves.

another fave was hiking up Lion’s Head at 4am for sunrise, and trail running down. i had a maj moment at the top of that mountain. feeling very happy and grateful.

went on a “safari” with Aquila to round out the big 5; saw the lions and rhinos but it was more like a zoo tour than a safari. no exhilarating feeling of what animals we were gonna see next and where, because they know exactly how many animals of each type and where they are. the humans even feed them. real safari in Africa is still on the bucket list!! i did meet Pierre from Paris (of course) on the tour, and hiked Table with him and his friends the next day. so that was fun!!

saw the penguins at Simon’s Town, saw the most south western point of Africa at Cape of Good Hope. went to Sargeant Pepper on Long Street a few too many times. enjoyed a patio bevvy and burg at Tiger’s Milk on Kloot Street. a magical, windy rooftop bevvy at Piano Bar (Cape Town’s wind is next level). visited the adorable Bo-Kaap coloured houses with Pedro. sang along and danced with my African brothas. chatted with a local at our hostel, learned about how he is “coloured” but considers himself “black”. in South Africa blacks had an identity card and were sent to jail if they didnt have it with them. they werent allowed out past 6pm. black and coloured people had to walk in a different door in the shops, while whites walked in the front. i have never heard so many people speak about racial groups in these categories, so often. South Africa has seen a lot of improvements but it’s still got a long, long way to go.

feeling so so so so lucky that i was able to visit and experience Cape Town the way that i did. what a fricken WHIRLWIND. i can’t WAIT to come back!!