Cape Town & the Cape of Good Hope
We’ve had a few more days here in S. Africa and things are great.
After writing the other day we went out for dinner and chose an Indian restaurant that was amazing. Unquestionably the best Indian food I’ve ever had. We both joked that that meal was reason enough to justify the long flights to get here. Something tells me we’ll eat there again before the trip is up..
Yesterday we spent the day wandering around (more) in Cape Town, including a visit to the District 6 museum which tells the story of displaced blacks during the time of apartheid. There was a whole community that was relocated during the 50s and 60s to make room for urban improvement - not unbelievable given the political system here, but remarkably similar to the same kind of efforts going on around the states as well. The museum was well done - its displays were a bit haphazard which encouraged random wandering around the exhibits and created the feeling of discovery as you checked out the different areas.
We also followed a Lonely Planet walking tour of the downtown area, but it was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday.. The architecture was interesting though, as was the realization that this town is really not all that large.
Today we rented a car and drove down to the Cape of Good Hope (and the Cape Peninsula - or Cape Point as its known regionally). It was quite the experience driving a stick shift car on the Left side of the road.. took a little getting used to and definitely taxed the nerves.
But the drive was great and we saw some awesome scenery and also drove through Simonstown where there lives a colony of African Penguins. We spent some time with the penguins which was really cool, and then we continued down to the Cape of Good Hope. Despite what I remember from my grammar school education, this is not actually the tip of Africa - that we will hopefully see tomorrow - but is instead the tip of the Cape Peninsula (and geographically not far from the most Southern tip of Africa).
One thing to note about the trip so far is the rain! We’ve had really bad weather here, which is a little unfortunate. We were expecting to be just ahead of the rainy season, but it appears to have come early this year. Oh well. It hasn’t terribly hampered our activities yet, but it certainly threatens to, and it’s prevented us from any sweeping vistas as the low clouds keep visibility to a minimum. we’ve yet to see Table Mountain which towers above Cape Town..
I think we’re both also a little surprised by the feel of Cape Town. I booked this early in the trip figuring it would be a good entry point into Africa and help ease the culture shock, but this is ridiculous. It really feels just like a European city. I think the next few days in S. Africa will bring more of the same - and probably Namibia as well. It won’t be until the later part of the trip that I think we’ll start to get a feel for the ‘real’ Africa.
But… that having been said, Cape Town is an excellent city - one definitely worth visiting, for the Indian food alone 
- but really, the surrounds are really beautiful, and a few days along the Cape Peninsula would be as great as a few days in Marin County.
Tomorrow we’re off along the Southern Coast of S. Africa, making our way back to Cape Town in a few days and then on to Namibia.
