Days 1-2 in Cape Town, South Africa (5/9/22-5/10/22)
-South Africa is a whole new world to me. From having bubblegum flavored milk to fruit chutney Pringles. I flippin’ love it!
-The Waterfront here is everything for shopping and eating out.
-I’m blown away by how cheap it is here compared to the US. It’s Vietnam cheap. I spend $1 on double shots of Jack Daniels.
-Biltong is the universal snack here that everyone loves. It’s pretty much beef jerky but better and with more varieties.
-The lingo here is so bizarre to me. Traffic lights are robots, gas stations are garages, and flip-flops are slops.
-They have load shedding here which are scheduled blackouts. Not looking forward to that as it may hinder my online work.
-South Africa is huge on ginger beer, gin, and craft beer and I’m not mad about it.
-I almost got turned away at immigration because CDC cards are not verifiable. Even got threatened with a travel ban. I thought about pulling up their embassy page and showing them that’s it’s legally accepted but didn’t want to escalate the situation. I simply explained calm and rationally that this is all Florida has as proof, there aren’t other options. They let me go as if they were giving me a break but really they didn’t want to deal with the hassle despite creating the situation. I didn’t have the heart to tell them I’ve traveled to twenty, more or less, countries all over the world the last year and they were the only ones who gave me issues.

Days 3-6 in Cape Town, South Africa (5/11/22-5/14/22):
-I would describe Cape Town as an absolute vibe. There’s just so much to see and do and at an affordable price.
-There’s no comparison to the amount of nature, viewpoints, and architecture Africa as a whole has to offer.
-I got the stomach flu earlier this week after eating some king prawns and local oysters so I haven’t been able to do a fraction of what I’d like to.

Day 12 in Cape Town, South Africa (5/20/22):
-I’ve been doing so much this past week I’m almost overwhelmed by how much I need to post.
-I hiked Lion’s Head today. 360 view of the city. Absolutely amazing.

Days 13-20 in Cape Town, South Africa (5/21/22-5/28/22):
-My blogging has been so simplified over the years. I don’t edit my photos, I don’t spend half the time trying to get the perfect angle or lighting, and I simply make bullet points of the things that come to mind as worth writing about.
-I love Cape Town, I would consider living here if the money were right solely because it’s affordable and full of nature and things to do.
-I will say though, there is a huge problem here with drugs and homelessness. It is not safe for women to walk around alone late at night. That goes for nearly every city, but especially here.
-I’ve gone to the “Belly of the Beast”, Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Center, a speakeasy called The Gin Bar, The Planetarium, and several other indoor activities because the weather is so inconsistent throughout the week. Loved all of them except for The Planetarium – it was underwhelming and more for kids than anything.
-My current Airbnb is right by City Hall and I could watch the view all day, everyday.

-Boulders Beach is worth every dollar. It’s essentially a protected penguin colony meaning penguins can come and go as they please but fishing, water sports, and ships are all prohibited in the nearby water. Additionally, the penguins are given protected terrain and the option of artificial nests to keep reproducing.
-it’s hilarious to me that penguin hatchlings come out nearly the same size as full grown adults.
-Dassie rats are about triple the size of a Guinea pig but can climb trees effortlessly.
-Turns out penguins can bite. Not that I experienced that but it’s a posted warning at the colony.

Camps Bay sunset. Best place to see is the restaurant Tiger’s Milk.

Castle of Good Hope. Frankly, it was actually really underwhelming based off of a sheer lack of exhibits and information. It seems it has been dumbed down over the years to be more child-friendly.

What was my final impression of Cape Town, South Africa? That it’s quite a mixed bag and you can get a variety of impressions based off of what neighborhoods and cities you visit. As far as nature and outdoor activities goes, I would put Cape Town near the top, if not number one. There is literally always something to do and affordably from gin tastings to hikes to live music events.

What are some things I couldn’t get used to? Water shortages and the load shedding – scheduled blackouts where some neighborhoods just lose electricity for a couple to several hours depending on the day. It was such an unusual mix of 1st and 3rd world living. Additionally, as far as safety goes, I would not solo travel South Africa if I was a young, white female. The reality of the situation is that there is a lot of reverse racism in South Africa where black people do not like white people and are looking to victimize them because of history. It was also apparent that, even in nicer neighborhoods, there are plenty of homeless, drug addicts, and degenerates just waiting for opportunities to scam or hurt others. Visiting, I highly recommend. Living, I have mixed feelings about.