The Get Down in Cape Town

When I first started telling people that I was going to Cape Town, South Africa for vacation, most were taken aback. They asked follow-up questions, "Is this a missionary trip?" "What made you want to go there?" First of all- I'm a nomad. I've been this way for most of my life. Coming from a small town in South Carolina, my dreams to travel surpassed what I saw in my hometown. My life-long goal is to visit all seven continents (Africa was number one on my bucket list). So far, I've been to four continents (North America, Asia, Europe, and Africa), so I'm well on my way.



Shots, Shots, Shots!!
Well, not THOSE type of shots...I'm referring to vaccinations! It is encouraged by health officials that you get a myriad of vaccinations prior to traveling to Africa. I took vaccinations for tetanus, hepatis A/B, typhoid fever, and malaria pills. Let me just say, the typhoid fever vaccination HURT like hell! You can literally feel the virus traveling down your veins. And it feels hot! But you can also take the oral pills for typhoid fever. If I can go back in time, I wouldn't have taken ANY of them! Just a bunch of toxins injected into the body...but that's another article for another day!




"Are we there yet??"
The most unpleasant part of the trip was getting there! My friend that went with me lives in Chicago and she didn't want to travel alone, so I traveled to Chicago the night before so we could fly over to Africa together. We flew from Chicago to Paris France, and then from Paris to Cape Town. Total time?? 21 hours!! I suggest if you're traveling on any flight for that long, you need to bring compression socks, plenty of snacks, a head/neck rest, and an iPad!



Cape Town

Camps Bay Beach; Cape Town, South Africa



Table Mountain, overlooking the city of Cape Town, South Africa

I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful Cape Town was! Surrounded by mountains and beautiful water, it has become very "Americanized." Everything is written in English (storefront and traffic signs), and it's very easy to get around. There are 11 languages that are spoken in Cape Town, but English is one of the main ones. The waterfront marina has a lot of high-end shops (Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Lacoste) if you want to get your "shop" on (Canal Walk Shopping Centre). There's also a huge mall about 20 minutes from downtown (Table Bay Mall). We enjoyed getting our daily dose of Vitamin D from lounging on Camps Bay Beach  and exploring Cape Point (the most south western tip of the African continent!) Cape Point is where the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet....Sweet!

Cape Point, South Africa

                                                 

Camps Bay Beach, Cape Town, South Africa

And of course, we couldn't forget to shop at the African markets.

(By the way---our US dollars go a looooong way in ZAR (rands)! I managed to pick up a number of African herbs (burdock root, African Wild Potato, Bilberry, black seed oil, and Frank &Myrrh incense and soaps). I also bought my fave--shea butter--and African Black Soap.

Vegan Food
Health officials advised me prior to going to South Africa that I should not eat raw vegetables or drink tap water. So salads were OUT. Truth be told, most of the restaurants we went to were not vegan, so I had to be creative. The majority of the time, I ordered white rice, with steamed veggies, no butter). I think I ate a similar dish every single day over there....oh yeah, and potatoes! HA!

Water Crisis
The water crisis is real there! Although the hotels allowed you to use water at your leisure (i.e., shower, sink, etc.), public places such as Cape Point had turned off the sink water in the bathrooms and replaced them with hand sanitizer!


The Music
I really didn't listen to the radio that often while in South Africa. But the day before we left, we were leaving the outlets and the Uber driver turned on the radio. My friend Eboni and I heard this song, and we both pulled out our phones to "Shazam" it! LOL. "Who the hell is this? I've never heard of this song!" It was an R&B song and it was very much so Neo-Soul. The title of the song is called "Please Mr." and the artist's name is Shekhinah." I fell in love with it! I've attached the song in this post for your entertainment. Enjoy!

People
And last, but not least....the people!!! The African men?? Very welcoming....they kept telling us "Welcome back home, Sister!" The women though??? Let's just say, they didn't make me feel warm and fuzzy inside! HA! I'm sure it is a cultural thing....I HOPE!

Downtown Cape Town, South Africa

Wakanda Forever
Overall, visiting Cape Town,South Africa was an amazing experience that I will NEVER forget! It was actually number one on my bucket list, and I've accomplished it. The travel time each way was over 20 hours, but it was well worth it. I must go back one day! Check out my separate article on Durban, South Africa.  Well, that's it for now. Y'all be easy....I'll holla!





-The Vegan World Traveler