We arrived in Cape Town without a schedule. My friend and I joined a volunteer group to work with at-risk children for the week, and the project was abandoned, leaving us with a little under two weeks to learn the place on our own.
Was I disappointed that our project got canceled? Absolutely. Do I regret taking that time to explore the beautiful western coast of South Africa? Absolutely not.
Cape Town’s skyscraper… Table Mountain
I didn’t know what to expect, but our first day felt like I had landed in a hybrid of San Diego and Sydney. A bright sun, cloudless sky, towering Table Mountain and an easy-going coastal atmosphere filled my senses.
Observing the post-apartheid counter culture there reminded me of San Francisco in its glory days: Cut-off jeans, lots of matchless vintage, and bare feet make up the uniform for most of the hip youth, who easily float between categories of hipster and surfer.
These folks, who somewhat resemble 1960’s hippies in the U.S., are enjoying the freedom of South Africa since apartheid’s end, and the start of Nelson Mandela’s reign in 1993.
The togetherness is certainly present, but segregation still subtly exists in glimpses of poorer residents and beggars on the street.
In a section of the city called Gardens, threaded by Kloof and Kloofneck Streets, a peaceful environment connects coffee shops, cafes, boutiques and restaurants together in one artful vibe. Here lies the University of Cape Town, a slew of museums and pretty colonial homes bordered by iron gates and greenery.
Two museums in particular – the South Africa Museum and the District Six Museum – provide affordable ($3-5) representations of what some of South Africa’s history might have looked like.
The South Africa Museum chronicled natural history of tribal groups, traditions and living conditions, as well as rock art exhibits and photography. While interesting, it lacks the precision of dates and exactness usually expected in museums of Europe and the U.S.
The District Six Museum details the forced removal of natives under apartheid (the word means “separateness” in Afrikaans). District 6, a section of land now largely undeveloped, once belonged to former slaves, artisans, merchants and other immigrants.
More than 60,000 of them were removed in the seventies to further racial separation by white government. While the museum presents the laws and artifacts of the past, it could use more coherency to paint a clearer picture. One can only assume that residents of the District had no way of preserving these lost memories.
On the brighter side of the city lies the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, where neat and colorful architecture meets the water.
A bustling tourist area, the V&A (as it’s called locally) teems with clothing stores and European restaurants, where you’ll pay more than you would in any other part of the city.
You won’t find much authentic South African fare here (the country arguably doesn’t have a distinctive cuisine), but we enjoyed the scenery and upbeat atmosphere.
We planned a trip to South Africa in hopes to work with some of Cape Town’s struggling youth, keeping them involved in healthy after-school activities and encouraging outdoor fun and education. Instead, we were met with a gleaming view of a city situated between two oceans and a mountain, and a culture evolving from its struggle between shades of light and dark.
We saw the pretty side, the cool kids, and experienced what felt like 90210 Cape Town. We were about to see much more.
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