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Places we visited: Cape Town, Franschhoek, Montagu, Oudtshoorn, Plettenberg Bay,
Knysna, Hermanus
Length of stay: 27 days
High point: Enjoying the comforts of a home for a month in our rented apartment,
actually seeing whales while whale watching, seeing the colony of African penguins as
they waddled around Boulders Beach, hiking around Robbenberg Reserve in
Plettenberg Bay
Low Point: Not being able to walk across the famous Storms River Bridge because it
was closed for maintenance, being in Cape Town-town of beautiful beaches-during
the cold, rainy winter season, seeing that 1/3 of Cape Town's population lives in
poverty, learning how big of a problem crime is in Cape Town
Local food/flavor: Cape Malay cuisine, which is characterized by mild, semi-sweet
curries. Our favorite dish was babotie, a spicy minced meat dish served under a
savory custard.
Language: Afrikaans, Xhosa and English (South Africa has 11 official languages)
Currency: Rand
Unique Sights: Table Mountain, the Cape Flats which line Cape Town's highway for
miles and include townships and shantytown squatter camps (this is a very sad sight),
Pitstop Taxis
Purchases: Wooden African statues
Things we did:
- Rented movies, cooked dinner, baked cookies, drank delicious and cheap South
African wine and enjoyed all the comforts of home while in our Cape Town
apartment
- Visited Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens
- Viewed the 12 Apostles from the swanky seaside suburb of Camps Bay
- Drove to the most southwestern point of Africa, known as Cape Point
- Watched the African penguins frolick on Boulders Beach
- Went wine tasting at the Mont Rochelle winery in Franschhoek
- Tested our flexibility on the "adventure tour" while crawling through the narrow
crevices and tunnels of the Cango Caves
- Went whale watching in the coastal town of Hermanus
- Rented a car for a 4-day road trip along the famous Garden Route
- Toured the Langa and Khayelitsha townships
- Visited the District Six Museum which shows the effect apartheid had on the
residents of this neighborhood
- Walked through the Bo-Kaap, Cape Town's Muslim neighborhood
- Drank "kick ass coffee" at Pickwick's Deli (I'm just quoting the sign, folks!)
- Went on a tour of Robben Island, the location of the prison where Nelson
Mandela was held captive during apartheid
- Marveled at the huge waves crashing on Cape Town's many beaches and
watched the surfers braving the frigid waters
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